Prayers At Srinagar's Jamia Masjid For 1st Time Since Article 370 Removed

Prayers were held today at Srinagar's Jamia Masjid for the first time in over four months since the government scrapped Article 370 under the Constitution to Jammu and Kashmir and divided the state into two Union Territories.

The police said they had made arrangements with help from volunteers to ensure that the prayers went smoothly at the historic 14th century mosque.

Some 1,000 people from nearby areas offered namaz at the mosque. Officials said people from outside the area where the mosque is located were not allowed to enter due for security reasons., news agency Press Trust of India reported.

In visuals, hundreds of people in thick winter clothes are seen entering the Jamia Masjid near a street with some traffic. An overcast sky is seen and in the distance the streets appear to be mostly empty.

The government on August 5 removed special status to Jammu and Kashmir and imposed restrictions, including total blackout of internet, to prevent trouble.

It arrested and detained hundreds of political leaders, a move criticised by the opposition Congress and other parties as to harsh.

Former chief minister Farooq Abdullah was charged under the stringent Public Safety Act. Other former chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, whose Peoples Democratic Party at one time was an ally of the BJP, are still under detention.

The politicians would be released if they agreed to sign a bond that they would not engage in any political activity that could upset the law and order situation, officials in the Home Ministry have said.

The Home Ministry said some of them have already signed the bonds and they have been released.

"But still as many as 23 leaders are under detention and the process to win them over is still going on," a senior official in the government told NDTV, asking not to be identified. He said more will be released as a goodwill gesture.

With inputs from PTI