Ahead of the maiden death anniversary of the slain Hizb commander Burhan Wani, authorities on Friday disallowed congregational prayers at the Jamia Masjid in downtown Srinagar for the third consecutive week. All gates of Jamia Masjid were locked by government forces while all roads leading to the historic mosque were blocked with concertina wires.

A strict curfew was imposed in the area to prevent people from assembling at the mosque where Hurriyat (M) chief and Kashmir’s chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq addresses the faithful every Friday.

Meanwhile, in a tweet, Mirwaiz said lockdown and disallowing of Friday prayers reflected the state’s indifference towards the people.

“For the last 3 consecutive Fridays #JamaMasjid under lockdown& curfew, it reflects apathy &indifference of anti #Kashmir state towards people,” tweeted Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.

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