For third consecutive Friday of October, Kashmir’s main mosque remains shut by India

On October 27th, Friday prayers were disallowed by India at the main mosque of Srinagar, Kashmir, Jamia mosque, as gates of the mosque were locked. This was the third consecutive Friday when Kashmiri Muslim worshippers were denied their basic religious freedoms. 

October 27th is considered as “Black Day” in Kashmir widely, as this was the day when India’s military occupation of Kashmir began and the first batch of Indian troops landed in the valley. As a result, in the past too, India has enforced strict measures and curfews on this day to prevent people from organizing any protest or sit-in, or to gather for prayers.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the leader of the mosque and one of Kashmir’s prominent socio-religious leaders, was also put under house-detention. He has been under house-detention since October 15th. Mirwaiz had been kept under house-detention since 2019 and was released only in September of 2023. Now he is back into house-detention.