The title of Mirwaiz (head priest) was withdrawn from the well-known south Kashmir priest, Qazi Yasir, after an “obscene” video involving him went viral a few days ago.
A spokesman of the Islamic Research Institute (Idara) said the group’s patron Mohammed Abdullah on Friday “decided to take away the post of Mirwaiz from Mr. Yasir.” He was also asked to step down from the presidentship of Idara Tehqiqat-e-Islami, an influential religious body of south Kashmir.
A video of the priest with a woman had gone viral recently.
Yasir, a prominent religious and political figure from south Kashmir, is known for his fiery speeches and has often been detained by the security forces to maintain order in the region. He spearheaded many anti-India rallies in south Kashmir in the past few years.
‘False claims’
His family, however, said that Yasir’s image “was being tarnished by fake propaganda”. “We have registered a case against those who are behind this. We hope that police will act tough against these persons, who have started a false campaign against Qazi Yasir,” said a close relative.
Yasir graduated in Islamic Studies from Aligarh Muslim University. His father, Qazi Nisar, an influential religious figure, was assassinated in June 1994.