Protesters Clash With Police In Downtown Srinagar
APHC Condemns 'Govt's Flip-flop'
Srinagar: Scores of civilian protesters broke into spontaneous protests inside Jamia Masjid Srinagar after the government barred Kashmir’s head priest and senior separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq from offering Friday prayers, a day after several reports said that he has been released from 20-month long house detention.
Soon after the Friday prayers ended, eyewitnesses said, the protesters assembled outside the Masjid and raised “pro-freedom” slogans. They said that the forces fired teargas shells to disperse the protesting civilians. The protesters pelted stones on forces triggering minor clashes.
Government had placed in elaborate security arrangements around the old city to apparently block any protests in the area.
While several media reports earlier this week said that Mirwaiz Umar, who head the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, has been released from 20-month log detention, but a statement issued by the amalgam said that Mirwaiz was barred from moving out of his house.
In a statement All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) expressed strong resentment and regret that after announcing the release of it’s chairman from twenty month long house detention since August 2019, Government authorities went back on their decision.
The APHC said that late last night police officials visited the Mirwaiz’s residence to convey to him that he continues to be under house arrest, and will not be allowed to go to Jamia Masjid for Friday prayers and Majlis waz-o-tableeg. “And since early morning additional forces have been deployed outside his house and in the area converting it into a garrison.”
APHC condemned “authoritarian flip flop of the Government”.
The statement said that “this imperious decision of the authorities has hurt the sentiments of people and further aggrieved them, as they were eagerly awaiting for Mirwaiz’s release from arbitrary house arrest”. ( With Inputs From CNS)