Mirwaiz Umar Farooq urged the authorities to ensure that the harassment of Kashmiris studying and working across India, which followed the Delhi blast, is stopped at once. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
Kashmir’s chief cleric, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, and the National Conference (NC) MP, Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, sought action on Friday (November 21, 2025) for any lapses that may have led to the Nowgam Police Station explosion, which left nine dead on November 14.
In his Friday sermon at the Jama Masjid in Srinagar, the Mirwaiz said, “It is extremely painful that so many precious human lives were lost in this manner. This tragedy could have been averted 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 be held to account and the investigation be 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, is stopped at once. “News of harassment keeps coming in from all over, which is very disturbing. It is the responsibility of the authorities to provide security to Kashmiris who are being targeted and whose lives are in danger.”
He also condemned the raid on the Kashmir Times office in Jammu on November 20. “Press freedom has become a target for the authorities and every dissenting voice is seen as anti-national and a threat. Kashmir Times has a great legacy established by Ved Bhasin, which the current management is carrying forward. Resorting to such tactics is extremely unfortunate and uncalled for,” he added.
Ruhullah seeks action
Meanwhile, Aga Syed Ruhullah, MP, who visited the kin of a Nowgam blast victim, said those responsible for any lapses should be punished.
“The victims’ families have also demanded a fair investigation to identify any lapses in the Nowgam incident. Those responsible for the explosion should be held accountable and punished so such incidents never occur again,” Mr. Ruhullah said.
He also termed it insensitive to have a tailor, a tehsildar, and a naib-tehsildar handling the explosives without a professional hand around. “We should know the facts on what led to the explosion,” he said, while adding that the victims’ families should be offered government jobs.
Mr. Ruhullah said it was a flawed narrative to link the issue of terrorism with Article 370. “Militancy was used as a ruse 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 people to safeguard the country’s value system and empower society to fight terrorism. “Minorities being treated as second-class citizens will not help. J&K felt empowered by the protections Article 370 offered, but now feels disempowered,” he said.
Published – November 21, 2025 10:34 pm IST
