Large congregations have been banned for the major Islamic festival of Eid in Indian-administered Kashmir, where an unprecedented communications block on landlines, mobile and the internet remained in place for the eighth day.
Residents have been allowed to visit their local mosque, according to Indian officials, but the communications block means they have been unable to call relatives.
Large congregations were banned in an apparent attempt to avoid anti-India protests.
A spokesperson for the Indian home affairs ministry said prayers had gone ahead peacefully in all local mosques in Anantnag, Baramulla, Budgam and Bandipore “without any untoward incident”.
“Jamia Masjid old town Baramulla witnessed approx 10,000 people offering prayers,” the spokesperson said on Twitter. It was not immediately possible to independently confirm the claim.
India’s foreign ministry shared photos of people visiting mosques, but a spokesman was not able to specify where the photos were taken within Jammu and Kashmir, which New Delhi downgraded from a state to two federal territories a week ago.
There is very little independent information about what is happening in Kashmir because of the communication blackout. Tens of thousands of troop reinforcements have flooded the main city of Srinagar and other Kashmir towns and villages.
Source: Independent, UK