Mirwaiz Umar Farooq urged the authorities to ensure that the harassment of Kashmiris studying and working across India, which followed the Delhi blast, was stopped immediately. File | Photo credit: The Hindu
Kashmir Chief Cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and National Conference (NC) MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi on Friday (Nov 21, 2025) sought action for any wrongdoing that may have led to the Nowgam police station blast that left nine dead on November 14.
In his sermon at the Jama Masjid in Srinagar on Friday, Mirwaiz said: “It is extremely painful that so many precious human lives have been lost in this way. This tragedy could have been prevented if the seized material had been handled and stored in a responsible manner. It is imperative that those responsible for this preventable loss of life are held accountable and the investigation completed and made public soon.”
He also urged the authorities to ensure that the harassment of Kashmiris studying and working across India, which followed the Delhi blast, was stopped immediately. “Reports of harassment are coming from all sides which is very disturbing. It is the responsibility of the authorities to ensure the safety of Kashmiris who are being targeted and whose lives are at risk.”
He also condemned the November 20 raid on Kashmir Times office in Jammu. “Freedom of the press has been targeted by the authorities and every dissenting voice is considered anti-national and a threat. Kashmir Times has a great legacy established by Ved Bhasin which is being continued by the current management. Resorting to such tactics is extremely unfortunate and undesirable,” he added.
Ruhullah is looking for action
Meanwhile, MP Aga Syed Ruhullah, who visited the family of the Nowgam blast victim, said that those responsible for any wrongdoing should be punished.
“The families of the victims have also demanded a fair investigation to identify any wrongdoing in the Nowgam incident. Those responsible for the blast should be held accountable and punished so that such incidents never happen again,” Mr Ruhullah said.
He also termed it insensitive for a tailor, tehsildar and naib-tehsildar to handle explosives without a professional hand. “We should know the facts of what led to the explosion,” he said, adding that the families of the victims should be offered government jobs.
Mr Ruhullah said it was a wrong narrative to link the issue of terrorism with Article 370. “Militancy was used as a ploy to abrogate Article 370 in 2019. The reality is that terrorism in Kashmir was a reality whether the article was there or not,” MP Ruhullah said.
He urged the people to protect the country’s value system and enable society to fight terrorism. “Treating minorities as second-class citizens will not help. J&K felt empowered by the protection offered by Article 370 but now feels deprived,” he said.
Published – 21 Nov 2025 22:34 IST
