Kashmir's chief preacher Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Tuesday (May 26, 2026) claimed that authorities have placed him under house arrest after denying him permission to visit the family of the 12-year-old girl who was murdered and raped in Budgam district.

The Mirwaiz said he was placed under house arrest early this morning (May 26, 2026) after being denied permission to visit Budgamr. A man has been arrested for allegedly raping and murdering the girl in Budgam district.

“The girl had gone missing on Saturday evening (May 23, 2026) and was later found murdered around 200 metres from her house on Sunday (May 24, 2026),” a senior police officer had said.

In a post on X, the Mirwaiz said, "Placed under house arrest early morning today after being denied permission to visit Budgam (all my visits are subject to permission by authorities, who are to be informed a day earlier) to offer condolences and share in the grief of the bereaved family who lost their 12 year old girl child in a brutal and shocking incident".

The cleric said it is strange that even a basic humanitarian gesture of expressing sympathy and condolence with the bereaved "threatens the rulers and their narrative of 'peace and normalcy'." PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said there was no justification for putting the Mirwaiz under house arrest.

"Nothing justifies the mindless action of putting Mirwaiz Sahab under house arrest thereby preventing him from visiting the Budgam victim's family. All of Kashmir is grieving over this tragedy. Repeatedly not allowing him to offer namaz at Jama Masjid & now depriving him of the simple humane act of expressing solidarity is awfully cruel," the former Chief Minister posted on X.