Srinagar: Countering All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi claim on Jamia mosque closure, Jammu and Kashmir police has said the mosque is “fully opened” and “staying far” cannot be an “excuse for ignorance”.
Owaisi on Tuesday claimed that the historical Jamia mosque in Srinagar is shut every Friday.
Reacting to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha inaugurating multipurpose cinema halls in south Kashmir’s Pulwama and Shopian on Sunday, Owaisi tweeted and asked Sinha, why the Srinagar Jamia Masjid is shut every Friday.
“You have opened cinema halls in Shopian and Pulwama but why is Srinagar Jamia Masjid shut on every Friday, at least don’t shut it during the afternoon matinee show,” he tweeted.
However, the Srinagar Police strongly reacted to the tweet on the same day and said staying far cannot be excuse of ignorance.
“Jamia is fully opened,only on 3 occasions post-Covid, it was temporarily shut for Friday noon prayers owing to inputs of terror attack /law & order situation.
“This was after Jamia authorities failed to take responsibility of happenings inside. Staying far is no excuse of ignorance,” the Srinagar police tweet said.
In a statement later police termed Owaisi statement on Jamia mosque a “rumour”.
“There is a rumour floated by one non-Kashmir based politician that Jamia Masjid is closed. It is clarified that Jamia is fully open.
“Only on three occasions in total after it opened post-Covid was it temporarily shut, this was owing to inputs of terrorist attack /law and order situation. Jamia was then shut only after Jamia Intezamia authorities failed to give assurance & take responsibility of happening inside the Masjid,” the statement by Srinagar police said.
“Non-Kashmir based persons who are far away from reality should behave responsibly and resist making false statements for gaining sensationalism.”
