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Mirwaiz sends notice to J&K chief secretary against house detention
Anjuman Auqaf Jamia Masjid, the managing body of the mosque, on Friday, said that its president Mirwaiz was again disallowed from religious duties and offering obligatory prayers for the consecutive 208th Friday at Jamia Masjid
Four years into his house arrest, Hurriyat leader and chief cleric of Jamia Masjid Srinagar Mirwaiz Umar Farooq dispatched a legal notice to chief secretary of J&K on Friday evening urging him to lift the restrictions on his movement and not to stop him from his religious duties. The leader cautioned that if he didn’t get any positive response to the notice, he will be compelled to file a writ petition in court for the protection of his fundamental rights under Articles 21 and 25 to 28 of the Constitution
Anjuman Auqaf Jamia Masjid, the managing body of the mosque, on Friday, said that its president Mirwaiz was again disallowed from religious duties and offering obligatory prayers for the consecutive 208th Friday at Jamia Masjid.
The body, in a statement, said the news was rife on social media that Mirwaiz might be allowed to come to Jamia Masjid after J&K lieutenant governor (LG) Manoj Sinha’s interview to a news channel.
“To get clarity on this, Anjuman reached the police authorities concerned to ask if in the light of LG sahabs statement, Mirwaz will be allowed to come to Jama Masjid today. The concerned authorities said that they have not been intimated anything on this matter by the higher authorities and so cannot comment on it, so the status quo of detention continues,” the Auqaf said.
In an interview to a news portal, LG Sinha said “Mirwaiz was ‘not under arrest’ and that he has a ‘security threat’. And it is our responsibility to arrange complete security for such a person. If he has to go anywhere, he has complete freedom and he will be taken there securely. For Friday prayers, I have made up my mind that everything should happen peacefully and he will surely lead prayers.”
Anjuman Auqaf said in view of these “conflicting statements” and despite repeated appeals for his release from all quarters, Mirwaiz continues to be under house detention for last four years.
“As such, Mirwaiz sahab was pushed to take the legal route now, and has decided to send a legal notice to the authorities concerned to clarify his status and initiate proceedings for his release from house detention,” the managing body added.
The Anjuman Auqaf said it was hopeful that Mirwaiz will get relief through the courts.
Meanwhile, National Conference president and member parliament from Srinagar Farooq Abdullah said that LG’s statement on Mirwaiz was a lie. “Mirwaiz can’t move out . He can’t go to Jamia Masjid. Till when are they going to lie. If he is free, why forces are there. Nobody can go in. If media can’t interview Mirwaiz, how is he free.”
The 50-year-old, Mirwaiz, was placed under detention along with hundreds of others, including all major politicians on August 4, 2019, a day ahead of the revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 and its bifurcation into two union territories.
Last year, J&K LG Manoj Sinha, in an interview with BBC Hindi, had said the Hurriyat Conference chairman was not under arrest.
“Even in 2019, Mirwaiz wasn’t booked under Public Safety Act and was not kept in detention. If you go back, some incidents happened in the past, even the father of Mirwaiz was killed. We have kept police around him for his personal safety,” Sinha had said.
