Srinagar: After 19 weeks, State Government Friday allowed people to offer Friday congregational prayers at historic Jamia Masjid in summer capital here while shutdown continues across the Valley amid clashes during which a top police officer was injured.
The Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid was locked since July 15 for Friday prayers as mass uprising erupted across the Valley in the wake of Hizbul Mujahideen Commander Burhan Wani’s killing on July 8. Fearing large scale protests, the authorities continuously imposed restrictions and curfew to prevent people from offering Friday prayers at the historic mosque.
However this Friday, the authorities did not place the mosque and its adjoining areas under siege and allowed the people to offer Friday prayers smoothly. According to eyewitnesses, several thousand people offered the Friday prayers at Jamia Masjid today. However, Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who delivers the sermon at the mosque, was kept under house arrest.
The prayers were led by Imam Naqashbandi and he also delivered the mandatory sermon. He condemned the siege of mosque and termed it interference in religious matters. As he was delivering the sermon, hundreds of people shouted pro-Islam, pro-freedom and anti-India slogans.
Soon after prayers were over, a huge procession was taken out from the mosque and the demonstrators were holding flags and banners of ISIS, Pakistan and ‘Azad’ Kashmir. The protesters shouted slogans in favour of Islam, Azadi and persons killed in the ongoing uprising.
Meanwhile, as the procession reached Rajouri Kadal, police and CRPF resorted to heavy teargas shelling and also used pepper shells to disperse the demonstrators. The police action triggered retaliation from the protesters who responded by pelting stones. Amid stone-pelting clashes, the SHO MR Gunj, Aftab Ahmad, received stone injury. Reports said the intermittent clashes in the area continued till late hours and spread to Nawakadal.
Elsewhere, a complete shutdown was observed across Kashmir Valley including in summer capital. All the shops, commercial establishments, petrol pumps and educational institutes were closed in summer capital. Police and paramilitary CRPF were deployment in sensitive areas of the city while clashes broke out at Batamaloo and Pamposh Colony Parimpora after Friday prayers.
Amid reports of complete shutdown from all areas of the Valley, clashes after Friday prayers broke out at Baramulla, Sopore, Pattan, Palhallan, Magam, Tahab, Kakapora and Newa in south, north and central Kashmir. Police used teargas, pepper canisters and batons to break up these protests. A police official said the situation in all these areas was later brought under control.
The movement of people and transport is less on Friday compared to the other days due to apprehensions of law and order problems after Friday congregational prayers, a police official said.
He said most of the shops, fuel stations and business establishments in Srinagar – the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir – were shut due to the strike, while public transport was comparatively less.
However, few of them were open in some areas in the civil lines as well as in the outskirts of the city in Srinagar, the official said.
Few vendors had put up their stalls along TRC Chowk-Batamaloo axis through Lal Chowk city centre, he said.
Reports of less traffic and most of the shops being closed were received from other district headquarters of the Valley, he said.
Except for the past weekend, Kashmir has witnessed shutdown for the last 140 days.
The separatists, who are spearheading the agitation since killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces on 8 July, have been issuing weekly protest programmes.
They have extended the strike till 1 December, announcing two full days of relaxation on the weekend like the past week.
Over 90 civilians including two cops, have been killed and several thousand others injured in the ongoing unrest in the Valley.Around 5000 security forces personnel have also been injured in the clashes.
Masked Youth On Rampage In Anantnag
Anantnag: Panic spread in Dialgam Anantnag when dozens of masked youth attacked moving vehicles with stones and sticks during morning hours on Friday.
Eyewitnesses told to Kashmir Observer that dozens of masked youth suddenly came out from a Tavera vehicle and caused massive damage to vehicles that were plying on the roads, “The masked youth who appeared on the road to enforce shutdown not only thrashed commuters but also damaged their vehicles. Meanwhile the masked youth fled from the scene shortly before the arrival of the government forces.
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