Rising Kashmir, Daily Newspaper, Srinagar Jammu and Kashmir - Friday prayers disallowed in various Bla mosques
People defy curfew, demos trigger clashes
Ishfaq Tantry
Srinagar, July 09:
Hundreds of people at civil lines in North Kashmirs Baramulla defied curfew and took put a protest demonstration immediately after congregational Friday prayers.
Eyewitnesses told Rising Kashmir that a large number of people gathered at Khawaja Bagh High School premises to offer prayers. They said the worshippers later took out a huge procession of thousands towards Baramulla-Srinagar Highway.
The protesters raised pro-Kashmir and anti-India slogans while youth shouted Blood fro Blood and Go India Go slogans. Later the protesters dispersed peacefully.
From Eidgah Kadeem where thousands offered congregational prayers, a huge demonstration was taken out towards Town Square where the protesters staged a sit-in on the Cement Bridge.
Troops deployed in strength, however, used bamboo batons and tear gas shells to disperse the demonstrators only to be retaliated with stones and rocks.
Tear gas shelling and stone pelting continued till last reports came.
Earlier people were barred to offer Friday prayers in various Grand masjids of Sopore and Baramulla.
Prayers were not allowed to held at grand masjid of Baramulla, Bait-ul-Mukaram, Masjid-e-Rashaadthe centre of Tabligi Jamat in the entire North Kashmir and Jamia Qadeem Masjid at old town Baramulla.
Locals said that they were forced to offer Friday prayers in the small masjids in interior localities.
In Sopore town, authorities barred worshippers to pray at
Jamai Jadeed Masjid at the banks of river Jhelum. Reports of similar coercion also came from Kokernaag, Islamabad, Qazigund, Kulgam, Pulwama and Shopian where prayers were not allowed at grand masjids.
