Srinagar: Authorities stepped up restrictions on Friday (March 6) in parts of Kashmir with the valley’s chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and at least one Shia leader reportedly put under house arrest amid simmering tensions over the situation in Iran. High-speed mobile internet service continues to remain barred for the fifth consecutive day due to apprehensions of threat to “public order and security” following the assassination of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.Authorities are wary that the ongoing conflict in West Asia that has led to widespread death and destruction in Iran could again flare up tensions due to which restrictions continued to remain in place for the fifth consecutive day on Friday. In a statement, Amnesty International called on the authorities on Friday to respect the right to peaceful protest in Jammu and Kashmir which is “constitutionally protected” by the Indian as well as international laws. “When the government restricts protest for public order, the test is simple: are the measures protecting public order or is dissent being silenced. The right to peaceful protest in Srinagar and across the Kashmir valley must be respected and not suppressed,” the statement said. However, spools of concertina wires and barricades were placed at the key intersections leading into the summer capital Srinagar with hundreds of J&K police and Central Reserve Paramilitary Forces personnel patrolling the roads purportedly to prevent any protests. Witnesses told The Wire that curfew-like restrictions were imposed in and around Lal Chowk, Kashmir’s largest marketplace, since Friday morning with hundreds of security personnel manning the entry points to the city centre where both pedestrians and commuters were turned away. All the shops and other business establishments in the city centre remained closed on Friday amid a skeletal movement of vehicular traffic while the government offices also recorded low attendance. Last week, the city centre witnessed massive protests and demonstrations followed by a congregational prayer on Sunday after the Iranian state media confirmed the news of Khamenei’s assassination, causing embarrassment for the security agencies.The situation remained tense on Friday in the Shia-dominated areas of Kashmir including Bemina, Zadibal, Magam, Budgam, Pattan and others which have witnessed sporadic protests and rallies against Khamenei’s assassination over the last six days.However, there was no report of any clashes or violence during these rallies which were also taken out after the congregational Friday prayers in other areas of Jammu and Kashmir including Bandipora, Baramulla, Kishtwar and others.In a video message on X, Mirwaiz said that the authorities locked the Jamia Masjid in Srinagar where he delivers his Friday sermon and the faithful were prevented from offering congregational prayers. The former Hurriyat chairman said that he has been placed under house arrest at his Srinagar residence to prevent him from leading the prayers at the mosque in downtown Srinagar’s Nowhatta locality. “All the roads and lanes leading to the mosque have been sealed by the authorities. The pulpit of Jama Masjid has been silenced. It is very sad and unfortunate,” he said.Restrictions in the valley continue and have been heightened on a Friday in the holy month of Ramzan. I have also been placed under house arrest, and in these greatly blessed days, when thousands come to the mosques seeking blessings and guidance the pulpit of Jama Masjid is… pic.twitter.com/1532EZqpIH— Mirwaiz Umar Farooq (@MirwaizKashmir) March 6, 2026Prominent Shia cleric Masroor Abbas Ansari also said in a post on X that he was placed under house arrest by authorities. “Today marks the first Friday in my life without our leader Shaheed Ayatollah Khameini present among us. Ironically, I cannot even pay my respects at Friday’s congregation today because I have been prevented from doing so as I have been under house arrest for the past five days,” he said. Meanwhile, the suspension of the high-speed mobile internet has caused inconvenience to the general public and especially traders and students in Kashmir.An order by J&K’s home department earlier this week said that these restrictions will remain in force till March 4. However, the curbs have continued to remain in place for another two days and no such order for extending the ban was issued by the home department when this report was filed.