Ashiq Hussain
SRINAGAR, June 30: People in Kashmir are worried amid apprehensions that some ‘elements’ are trying to stoke communal tensions in the valley after a string of attacks on the religious symbols of various Muslim sects and other religions in the past two months.
Protests erupted in North Kashmir on Friday after news of an alleged attempt of blaze and desecration of a holy book and a relic near a local Imam Bargah in Mirgund area on the boundary of Srinagar and Baramulla districts.
“During the night some miscreants had burnt Alam Sharief and torn some pages of Quran which people saw during morning prayers today,” said SHO, Ghulam Mohiuddin. “I believe the intention was to create a rift among Muslim communities,” he said.
Kashmir valley is already grappling to maintain calm after a mysterious blaze destroyed the shrine of an 11th century Sufi saint Sheikh Syed Abdul Qadir Geelani on Monday.
Although the cause of fire is yet to be ascertained, Valley has been shut amid restrictions in Srinagar on the movement of people. This is not the only incident of its kind this year.
Earlier this month, tension gripped the frontier district of Bandipora in North Kashmir after people found burnt leaves of the Quran scattered outside a local mosque. It took over a week for the town to resume life fully.
A failed attempt to set ablaze a holy family church in Srinagar on May 23 came to fore days after a mosque suffered minor damage in an alleged attempt of arson in central Kashmir’s Budgam district.
“Despite our differences we have been living together from ages. But from the past some time, there have been attempts, one after another, to disturb this amity,” Ishfaq Ahmad Shah, assistant professor at Islamic University of Science and Technology said.
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“Budgam, MA road Church, Bandipora, Khanyar Shrine and now Imam Bargah; It seems that someone wants to divide and subdivide us. There is an urgent need that this matter should be looked into seriously,” said Shah.
State’s Finance Minister and senior National Conference leader, Abdul Rahim Rather also cautioned the people about the ‘machinations of some elements’ who try to create law and order problems in wake of the incident at Mirgund. “Nobody will be allowed to disturb the peace. It is the prime duty of the government to save the lives and property of the people,” Rather assured.
Police, however, is not ready to acknowledge. “These could be isolated incidents. My investigations as of now reveal nothing,” said Kashmir Inspector General of Police, SM Sahai.
(The author is working with The Hindustan Times)
