Srinagar Dec 25 PTI Srinagar Mayor Junaid Azim Mattu has requested Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to allow Friday congregational prayers at the historic Jamia Masjid here which have remained suspended for 20 consecutive weeks In a letter to the Lt Governor Mattu said the Jamia Masjid besides being the citys main mosque is a place of great reverence and historical importance for the people of Srinagar While I do believe that the Masjid Administration and elders as with any place of worship should ensure peace and disallow any politicisation I also firmly believe that it must be unacceptable to administratively normalise the locking-up of the Jamia Masjid as a preemptive measure in perpetuity he said The Srinagar Municipal Corporation Mayor said if Friday prayers at the Jamia Masjid were being disallowed due to COVID-19 concerns then it seems to be a very discriminatory and selective application of those guidelines I request you to kindly permit the conduct of Friday Congregational Prayers at the Jamia Masjid in deference to the faith and sentiments of the people of Srinagar the letter read PTI SSB AQS AQS

Srinagar Nov 19 PTI After the bodies of two civilians killed in the Hyderpora encounter were returned to their families the chorus for handing over the mortal remains of Amir Magray -- the third person killed in the gunfight and whose kin claim he was innocent -- grew louder on Friday Cutting across the political spectrum leaders from the mainstream as well as the separatist camp demanded that Magrays body be also returned to his family in the Ramban area of Jammu for last rites Aamir Magrey also killed in Hyderpora encounter is yet to be given a decent burial by his mourning family The fact that these families are begging for mortal remains instead of asking for justice reflects their lack of faith in the system His body must be returned immediately PDP president Mehbooba Mufti wrote on Twitter National Conference leader Ruhullah Mehdi said in a tweet Is Amir Magrays body returned to his family And if not why Does the administration and also we the society think he was child of a lesser mortal And what about the identity and details of the 4th one killed Or was there a 4th one Was there even a combatant among them Srinagar Mayor Junaid Azim Mattu also demanded Magrays mortal remains be handed to his family As a citizen of India - Amir Magray of Ramban enjoys the same rights in life and in death under Article 21 of the Constitution of India as Altaf Bhat and Mudasir Gul Request manojsinha Sahab that his mortal remains too should be handed over to his family for last rites Mattu said on Twitter CPI M leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami also urged the government to return the body without any further delay It has been proven beyond any doubt that Magray is a civilian His father Abdul Latief Magray is a state bravery award winner and now his son has been killed and falsely labelled as a militant which is highly unfortunate Tarigami said The least the J-K administration could do is to return the body of Magray so that his family could perform his last rites he said The government must ensure that those involved in the killing of unarmed civilians are brought to book and punished under law the CPIM leader said Separatist Hurriyat Conference also called upon the authorities to return the body of Magray to his family In a statement the Mirwaiz Umar Farooq-led Hurriyat asked the authorities to desist from the criminal practice of ceasing bodies and denying their families the right to a proper burial It is abhorrently inhuman The Hurriyat calls on the authorities to stop the wanton violence in Kashmir it said Bodies of Mohammad Altaf Bhat and Mudasir Gul two civilians killed in the Hyderpora encounter were handed over to their kin on Thursday night after they were exhumed following protests by family members that they were innocent and not linked to militancy as claimed by police Police had initially buried them in the Handwara area of north Kashmirs Kupwara district PTI SSB AQS AQS

New Delhi [India], November 18 (ANI): The bodies of Altaf Ahmad and Mudasir Gul, who were killed in an encounter with terrorists in the Hyderpora area of Srinagar on Monday, have been exhumed for last rites and will be handed over to their families, Srinagar Mayor Junaid Azim Mattu said on Thursday.

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], October 6 (ANI): The road from Haft Chinar Chowk to Jehangir Chowk, where Bindroo's medical store is located, will be named Shaheed Makhan Lal Bindroo Road as a tribute to Makhan Lal Bindroo's contributions to society, said Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) Mayor Junaid Azim Mattu on Wednesday.