Mirwaiz Umar Farooq stopped from leaving house, he wanted to deliver sermon in Jamia Masjid

Kashmiri separatist leader and Islamic scholar Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday was stopped from leaving his residence and travelling to Jamia Masjid in the city to deliver a sermon. This comes days after J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, in an interview with BBC, said that Farooq was not under house arrest.

Srinagar: Days after Jammu Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said Kashmiri separatist leader and Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was not under house arrest, the latter was on Friday stopped from leaving his house and traveling to Jamia Masjid in the city to deliver a sermon. The security around Farooq's house, subsequently, was beefed up.

As soon as Farooq's vehicle reached the main gate of his residence, police stationed outside the gates directed them to turn back. "The Lt. Governor has announced that I am a free man...I am going to Jamia Masjid to discharge my religious duties as the Mirwaiz. Why am I being stopped?" Mirwaiz asked after the stoppage, which was responded with the statement that he would not be allowed to leave the residence as a security review was going on.

The clergyman got out of his vehicle and tried to walk out, but was stopped yet again. "Please give me something in writing about why I am being stopped. The Union Home Minister has said on the floor of Parliament that no one in Kashmir is under house arrest. The LG has made statements to international media on the same lines but you are here to stop me," Farooq said.

Manoj Sinha, in a recent interview with BBC, claimed that the separatist leader was not under detention ever since August 2019 and that he should decide for himself about his next steps. Sinha had further said that the police protection was for Farooq's own protection. (With agency inputs)