SRINAGAR: A contentious issue has arisen over the detention status of cleric and Hurriyat leader, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, in Jammu and Kashmir.
On August 5, 2023, Anjuman Auqaf Jamia Masjid said Mirwaiz Umer Farooq has completed four years of detention at his home. However, Lt Governor, Manoj Sinha, the same day told a newspaper that Mirwaiz has never been arrested and is a free man.
Anjuman said Mirwaiz was kept under house arrested on the eve of the abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35A. He has never been permitted to attend the Friday prayers which is his religious duty. The group that takes care of Kashmir’s Jamia Masjid has demanded Mirwaiz be set free and permitted to resume his sermons at the Jamia Masjid. Mirwaiz also heads the Hurriyat Conference. IT has pointed out that while other religious activities were permitted and facilitated by the authorities, Mirwaiz’s duties as the Muslim head of Jammu and Kashmir were curtailed.
However, Lt Governor Manoj Sinha does not believe that Mirwaiz is in detention. “He is not under detention. There are no restrictions on his movement. He can go anywhere,” Sinha told The New Indian Express.
This dispute over Mirwaiz Umar Farooq’s detention status is not new.
In August 2022, Sinha also claimed that Mirwaiz was a free man and no restrictions were imposed on his movement. He had said that security personnel deployed around his residence were for his safety not for curtailing his movement. In an interview, he had said the government would have no issues if he wishes to move out. On August 26, when Mirwaiz attempted to move out, he was prevented by the police.
