Srinagar, April 6 -- Mirwaiz Umer, the head priest of Kashmir, was placed under house arrest for the second day in a row while the gates of the central mosque, the site of a significant gathering on Shab-e-Qadr, were locked to worshippers.

A Spokesman of the mosque's governing body, Anjuman Auqaf Jamia Masjid, in a statement said, the gates of the grand mosque were locked by the police as soon as the (Fajr) morning prayers were offered.

The governing body, he said, was informed by the police that Taraweeh or nightlong prayers on the auspicious occasion of Shab-e-Qadr will not be allowed in the mosque.

Anjuman Auqaf expressed disappointment over the decision of the authorities for not allowing nightlong prayers and Taraweeh, calling it ...