Srinagar: Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday said he was yet again denied permission to offer prayers at the historic Jamia Masjid, terming the curbs an assault on basic rights.
“For the second consecutive Friday, I have been stopped from going to Jamia Masjid. Authorities curb our rights at will,” the Mirwaiz said in a statement.
Referring to the passing away of Professor Abdul Gani Bhat, he said: “Heavens would not have fallen if we had been allowed to participate in his janazah and offer duas for the departed soul. Are the authorities so afraid of the dead?”
Former Hurriyat chairman Professor Abdul Gani Bhat, a prominent leader who played a key role in Delhi-Srinagar talks with the NDA government in the 2000s, passed away at his residence in Sopore, north Kashmir, on Wednesday after a brief illness. He was 89.
The Mirwaiz said being confined to his home week after week and barred from praying at Jamia Masjid reflects an “authoritarian setup.” He called it “highly condemnable” that people were denied the right to collectively grieve and honour their leaders.
“Brute power cannot silence faith and the yearning for dignity and justice,” he added.
