Restrictions were imposed in several parts of Srinagar on Friday, after separatist leaders called for protests against the killing of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, authorities said.

Friday prayers at the Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta area were not allowed.

In Srinagar, the protests were called by separatist leader Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, who has since been placed under house arrest.

In Anantnag, an hour south of Srinagar, pro-Rohingya protests turned violent after clashes between protestors and state government forces, according to a Rising Kashmir report.

Shops, business establishments and private schools were closed in the Chenab Valley after several groups called for a shutdown in Bhadarwah and Kishtwar areas, the Greater Kashmir newspaper reported.

Rohingyas in India

The protests in Kashmir follow a statement earlier this week by the Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju that the government had set up a task force in various states to identify and deport Rohingya refugees in India. Rijiju said the Rohingyas were illegal immigrants who needed to be deported “as per the law”.

At least 1.4 lakh Rohingyas have fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh, and reports of atrocities committed against the community at the border continue to come in. Rohingya Muslims have been denied citizenship in Myanmar and are classified as illegal immigrants, despite them claiming roots in the country centuries ago. For years, there have been reports of the community being subjected to violence by the Buddhist majority and the Army in Myanmar, though the government has always strongly denied the allegation.