The mandatory Friday congregational prayers were once again disallowed today at the historic Jamia Masjid in Old city here.Notably, it is the longest period in recent that Jamia Masjid have been locked down after Maharaja Rule.For the seventeen consecutive Friday today, the authorities barred people from offering congregational prayers at the historic Jamia Masjid. Authorities didn’t even permit the call for prayers, much to the disappointment of thousands of devotees who would normally offer Friday prayers there.Sources said that the authorities had imposed strict restrictions in Nowhatta area of Srinagar to bar people from offering Friday prayers at historic Jamia Masjid here.
According to local residents, huge deployment of forces was once again deployed since the wee hours of this morning in the locality.They said that they were not allowed to offer Friday prayers in the grand mosque. “We were forced to offer mandatory Friday prayers in small Masjids,” locals said. However, Hurriyat (M) chairman and Jamia Masjid’s head preacher, Mirwaiz Molvi Umar Farooq was not allowed to move towards Jamia to lead prayers there. “Mirwaiz was disallowed to move out of his Nigeen residence where he remains under house arrest,” sources said.Pertinently, the last Friday prayers were offered at the historic Jamia Masjid on July 8, on the third day of Eid-ul-Fitr. People in Srinagar mostly prefer to offer Friday prayers at the grand mosque. (KNS)