Fatehpuri Imam regrets killings in Kashmir

NEW DELHI - The Shahi Imam of one of India’s largest mosques here Saturday regretted the killings of civilian protesters in the Kashmir Valley by security forces.

Addressing a massive Eid gathering in and outside the 17th century Fatehpuri mosque, Mufti Mohammed Mukharram said it was a pity that while security forces used rubber bullets in some places in India, they were using live ammunition to break up demonstrations in Kashmir.

“While we want our country to progress and in peace, what is happening in Kashmir is not right,” the Shahi Imam said. “What is happening there should not be happening.”

The Imam was referring to the wave of protests in the Kashmir Valley, including Srinagar, since June that have led to the death of nearly 70 people, mainly in firing by security forces.

“Muslims in India should have equal rights,” his brother and Naib Shahi Imam, Maulvi Mohammed Muazzam Ahmed, quoted the Shahi Imam as saying in a speech before the faithful.

The Imam said: “Muslims should be treated with respect and dignity.”

Many thousands crowded the sprawling Fatehpuri mosque at the edge of the famed Chandni Chowk for the Eid prayers that mark the end of the Muslim month of fasting known as Ramadan.

An equal number were spread all over the road leading to the mosque, all the way to the Town Hall in the centre of Chandni Chowk. Hundreds stood on rooftops of houses all around the mosque.