05-13-2008, 06:12 AM
Letter to Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad, Chief Minister, Jammu & Kashmir State
THE HINDU JAGRAN FORUM-USA
3145 Gilbert Avenue, Roseburg , OR ( USA ) 97470
<i>Subject: Sale of DAV School in Srinagar and Massive destruction of temples in J&K amounts to state sponsored Talibanization of the state: Hindu religious and educational infrastructure must be protected by the state and a Waqf like Hindu Board be formed for their upkeep, development and governance.</i>
Hon'ble Chief Minister Azad,
It is abundantly clear that the unwarranted sale of one of the leading DAV High Schools in Srinagar, against which the teachers and the students had to march in streets to register their protest, did not have the approval of the community who are the real owners of this infrastructure (attachment A). This represents another example of deliberate yet a âtactical failureâ by the J&K Govt. in protecting the Hindu community of Kashmir . It also further strengthens the case of the Kashmiri Hindus as a minority community for a change in the political set up to protect their community, culture, educational institutions and religion. The systematic elimination of minorities from the Islamic domain of Kashmir says volumes about the contradictory nature of the Islamic political culture when compared to India 's secular system.
If the Kashmir Govt. is sincere in its commitment to enforcing the proclaimed goals of equal protection of citizens under a system of political secularism, it must without any excuses issue an executive order, similar to the recent one issued by it for protecting religious shrines, to cover the sale of the DAV School in Srinagar as well as other sales of educational institutions (attachment B). All such deals involving the religious and educational institution and their estates after 1989 must be declared null and void and accounts of the trusts engaged in these extra legal transactions under duress must be sealed.
It is hardly difficult to understand that all these criminal activities by the Islamists represent the extension of their foreign inspired âcivilizational warâ undertaken to remove all traces of the historical Hindu past in the vale of Kashmir . Massive protests by the remaining less than 5,000 Kashmiri Pandits in the valley against criminally altering the socio-cultural complexion of Kashmir has been of no avail. On the contrary these extremely vulnerable non-Muslim Kashmiris have been exposed to serious intimidation and threats by a very powerful âIslamic Land Mafiaâ that if they do not stop protesting they would face dire consequences like the rest of the exiled Pandit community.
Disregarding the massive fatal attacks and life ending injuries inflicted upon non-Muslims i.e., Hindus and Sikhs during the past two decades, which consumed thousands of lives, the police establishment of the J&K Govt. two weeks ago, based on manufactured yet concealed evidence, shamelessly boasted that since 1989 only 209 Pandits lost their lives at the hands of the militants.
What a bald faced lie in an attempt to cover up and inadvertently aid the Islamic conspiracy against non-Muslims and India by a Govt. maintained with the Indian taxpayers funds. This politically motivated fabrication of a police report utterly failed to acknowledge dozens of massacres that took place in Kashmir - among them the carnages that bloodied the mother earth at Sangrampora, Gool, Wandhama, Talwani, Brariangan, Pethibug, and Nandigam. It did not make even a casual mention of the Pandit lives lost in bomb blasts, cross fires, deliberate violence, arson, harshness imposed by refugee life, heat, lack of resources, sunstrokes, hypertension, cancer, skin & other diseases, snake and scorpion bites, abnormally high heart attacks and heart failures etc.
1) Hindu Institutions being destroyed at an unprecedented Scale:
The process of desecration, loot, vandalizing and destruction of temples has continued in J&K under the anti-Hindu Islamic rule through generations with intent to wipe out all traces of religious and cultural symbols of Hindus. These targets besides the temples included libraries, schools, universities and ashrams. After country became free and Kashmir acceded to the Union of India in 1947 the destruction and desecration of temples under the new Islamic regimes wearing secular turbans received added impetus and acceleration.
Temple lands, cremation grounds and other such entities belonging to Hindus were usurped and utilized for expansion of the Islamic populace. The famous Bhairavnath temple of Chattabal , Srinagar was locked up by the police. The judicial case pending in court concerning this temple was never allowed to be decided. Precious lands around Hari Parbat hill, Durganag temple of Srinagar and lands at several Hindu places of worship in the Valley were slowly and steadily turned into lands under occupation of the Muslim trusts (Maqboozai-Ahali- Islam).
2) The law and order situation in the Valley since 1986 deteriorated progressively and temple desecration became the order of the day. The Islamic fundamentalist conspiracy against Hindus received unqualified support from the Pan Islamic Movement and from across the border. Here are some of the glaring examples that defy and shred into a million pieces the tall claims made by the Muslim leaders of Kashmir about their dedication and adherence to nationalism, multiculturalism, secularism, Kashmiriyat and religious freedom.
In 1967, Shivala temple, Chotta Nazar, Srinagar was desecrated. Again in 1984 Shri Hanuman temple at Hari Singh High Street was damaged and in the same year Arya Samaj temple of Wazir Bagh , Srinagar was burnt down.
3) Temples desecrated and damaged in Kashmir from 1990 to December 1992
1. DASHNAMI AKHARA, SRINAGAR
2. GANPATYAR TEMPLE
3. RAGHUNATH MANDIR, SRINAGAR
4. SHIVA TEMPLE , JAWAHAR NAGAR, SRINAGAR
5. HANUMAN MANDIR, SRINAGAR
6. SHIVA TEMPLE , BARBAR SHAH, SRINAGAR
7. JAI DEVI TEMPLE , BIJBEHARA
8. VIJESHWAR TEMPLE , BIJBEHARA
9. SHIVA MANDIR, BIJBEHARA
10. RAGHUNATH TEMPLE , ANANTNAG
11. GAUTAM NAG TEMPLE , ANANTNAG
12. THREE TEMPLES OF LUKHBHAVAN, LARKIPURA, ANANTNAG
13. WANPOH MANDIR, ANANTNAG
14. SHAILPUTRI TEMPLE , BARAMULLA
15. DAYALGAM MANDIR, ANANTNAG
16. BHAIRAVANATH MANDIR, BARAMULLA
17. BHAIRAVANATH MANDIR, SOPORE
18. RUPABHAVANI MANDIR, VASAKURA
19. KHIRBHAVANI MANDIR, GANDERBAL
20. SHIVA TEMPLE , GANDERBAL
21. MATTAN TEMPLE , ANANTNAG
There have been reports of further destruction of some 39 temples in Kashmir after December 6, 1992 for which FIR were filed. Please note that FIRs on all destruction cases were not filed with the authorities in view of the complicity of the administration and warnings of retaliation against the complainants by the Islamic terrorists. According to local eye witnesses accounts there were additional 38 temples that were vandalized after December 6, 1992.
These examples represent only a fraction of the systematic mass destruction of thousands of temples in J&K after independence of India when the Islamists assumed the total and unfettered control of the state. These examples are listed in details in our letter of February 21, 2008 (may be seen on website: http://www.bharatja gran.com/ under the heading - âMassive destruction of temples in J&K and Talibanization of the stateâ).
4) What is difficult to understand is that when the Govt. re-built Cherar-e-Shareef why canât it re-build Hindu temples destroyed in the wake of ethnic cleansing unleashed by the local and foreign Jihadists? The Indian Parliament adopted a law in 1991 specifically requiring that ââthe status of religious places, as on August 15, 1947 shall be retained". Under the present circumstances it is obligatory upon the Govt. as envisaged by the above referred law to maintain the integrity of religious entities as it stood in 1947. The J&K Government while flouting the law of the national legislature very conveniently divorced itself from this commitment. As always, the Indian authorities looked the other way.
Hon'ble Chief Minister, government's indifference towards the temple security and their functioning can only be termed as its support to persecution of Hindus and denial of their freedom of religion: Govt. must realize that the temples and their endowments have been built over the centuries by our forefathers and therefore, it is the community which is their real owner. Therefore, it is the community which must have the final say in the management and utilization of temple resources and management of educational institution.
5) Given the militant exposition and expansionist designs of the majority community - the Hindus as a minority in J&K need & must get special protection: Your governmentâs recent order making it mandatory to obtain its approval for the sale and purchase of properties held by Hindu shrines and religious places is right on the mark. However, this is only an initial step to correct the situation that has been wronged over many decades. It must be followed by other appropriate administrative measures like formation of a Waqf- like Hindu Board for their protection, preservation, administration and development.
For maintaining the real religious autonomy the Hindu community must retain power to decide the future of its educational and religious institutions and not the antagonistic work force of the biased J&K Govt. Clearly under estimating the possibility of the prevailing anti-Hindu policies coming into play in their dealings, particularly when their personal faith teaches them that Hindus are the infidels and kafirs, will be a grievous mistake.
6) Formation of a Waqf like autonomous Hindu Board for Hindu institutions' governance under the Hindu communityâs guidance is essential: Hon'ble Chief Minister, we strongly believe that for social, religious, educational and community affairs and services and temple administration there must be a representative but autonomous Hindu Board with full jurisdiction over temple governance and management. Since the right of freedom to manage religious places is available to the Muslim community which constitutes the majority in your state, where is the justification to deny this right to Hindus?
7) The Govt. must restore communityâs vital role in temple and educational institutions management through Hindu Advisory Councils: Such Councils representing the community and its leaders could play an important role in oversight, day to day administration and decision making process of the endowments department and temple Trusts . Additionally these Councils should have full authority for asking the Govt. to take swift measures for stopping desecration and decimation of the Hindu religious and educational infrastructure and for bringing the culprits to book.
8) Chief Minister Azad, we hereby urge you to take prompt action for protecting Hindu educational institutions, temples and Hindu community properties from illegal sales and annul all such sales that took place after 1988 by declaring them as âsales under duress.â This will be in keeping with the norms and practices in all open and democratic societies; and the secular Constitution of India. Restoration of the DAV High School in Srinagar to community management should be a priority, before the School campus is demolished by its new but unlawful owners.
If this double standard and extremely discriminatory policy against Hindus in Kashmir is not reversed, you can be sure that it will eventually transcend the state boundaries and impact adversely the privileges enjoyed by the Muslims as a minority community in India . In that case they will have nobody to blame except their fellow religionists and the Muslim Govt. of Kashmir. It is also relevant to point out that almost all of the budgetary expenditures in the J&K state are gifted by the Indian Govt. with taxes mostly paid by Hindus. Surely these taxpayers do not fund the Kashmir Govt. so it could destroy the age old Hinduism and its infrastructure for realizing the forced talibanization of the state.
Thank you Mr. Chief Minister. We shall be looking forward to your response and prompt action towards resolving this highly explosive but easily solvable situation.
Sincerely,
Dr. Jagan Kaul
Krishan Bhatnagar
Hindu Jagran Forum ( USA )
email: krishan.kb@verizon. net
May 11, 2008
Note: This letter will soon be posted on website: http://www.bharatja gran.com/
============ ========= ========= ========= ===
Attachment A
School building sold; students, teachers take to streets
The Tribune, Chandigarh
Friday, May 2, 2008,
Srinagar, May 1 : Traffic on the Srinagar airport road was today affected for an hour after students and teaching staff of DAV High School protested against the sale of school. The students and teaching staff of more than 60-year-old school today took to streets and blocked the main road at Magarmal Bagh.
Raising slogans against the school management, the students and teachers said the sale of the school building and its ground was illegal.
"Give us our school back," they demanded and appealed to authorities to intervene and save their future. They alleged that Kashmiri Pandit management without taking the parents and teaching staff into confidence had reportedly sold the school property. However, one person, who removed the school boards, said they have purchased the entire complex from the management. We have legal documents, including the sale deed, he said.
Hundreds of vehicles remained stranded for an hour as there was no police official. However, the traffic was allowed after a group of police personnel from Shergrahi police station reached the spot and assured the agitators that they would take the matter with the higher authorities. The DAV school was one of the leading schools before the Pandit management migrated from here after the eruption of militancy.
-- UNI
============ ========= ========= ========= ========= =
Attachment B
Valley temple trusts now need Govt OK to sell their property
by Toufiq Rashid( Indian Express- May 01,2008)
SRINAGAR, MAY 1: In order to safeguard the religious institutions and shrines of Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley, the J&K Government has passed an order which makes it mandatory to seek the Governmentâs approval for the sale and purchase of such property.
The Government is also likely to investigate the deals so far and take action in three months.
The April 16, 2008 order has come following an inquiry report which reveals violations in the process of sale and purchase of land belonging to Pandit religious institutions in the Valley.
In most of the cases, the shrine managers have been found guilty. The properties include shops and land belonging to temple trusts.
âWe had ordered an inquiry by the Settlement Commissioner of Jammu and Kashmir in February and found that there have been many cases where land and property of temples and other religious institutions of Kashmiri Pandits were sold by the mahants or temple managers. The order has been issued to safeguard these properties and put some checks and balances in place,â said Masaud Samoon, Secretary, Revenue, Jammu and Kashmir .
The J&K government passed an order stating that Deputy Commissioner of the area will be responsible for shrine properties. No sale deal can be registered without prior approval of the Deputy Commissioner of the concerned area. The order says that no revenue records should be issued to the mahants or managers of the shrine without the permission of the Deputy Commissioner.
The order states that any deal executed by any mahant or manager shall have to be attested by a Tehsildar after getting clearance from the Deputy Commissioner.
The issue was highlighted by a pressure group of Kashmiri Pandits who stayed back in the Valley after 1990. The group, Kashmiri Pandit Sangarsh Samiti, had even filed a case in the Jammu and Kashmir High Court demanding that all deals involving the temple properties after 1990 be cancelled and accounts of the trusts be sealed.
THE HINDU JAGRAN FORUM-USA
3145 Gilbert Avenue, Roseburg , OR ( USA ) 97470
<i>Subject: Sale of DAV School in Srinagar and Massive destruction of temples in J&K amounts to state sponsored Talibanization of the state: Hindu religious and educational infrastructure must be protected by the state and a Waqf like Hindu Board be formed for their upkeep, development and governance.</i>
Hon'ble Chief Minister Azad,
It is abundantly clear that the unwarranted sale of one of the leading DAV High Schools in Srinagar, against which the teachers and the students had to march in streets to register their protest, did not have the approval of the community who are the real owners of this infrastructure (attachment A). This represents another example of deliberate yet a âtactical failureâ by the J&K Govt. in protecting the Hindu community of Kashmir . It also further strengthens the case of the Kashmiri Hindus as a minority community for a change in the political set up to protect their community, culture, educational institutions and religion. The systematic elimination of minorities from the Islamic domain of Kashmir says volumes about the contradictory nature of the Islamic political culture when compared to India 's secular system.
If the Kashmir Govt. is sincere in its commitment to enforcing the proclaimed goals of equal protection of citizens under a system of political secularism, it must without any excuses issue an executive order, similar to the recent one issued by it for protecting religious shrines, to cover the sale of the DAV School in Srinagar as well as other sales of educational institutions (attachment B). All such deals involving the religious and educational institution and their estates after 1989 must be declared null and void and accounts of the trusts engaged in these extra legal transactions under duress must be sealed.
It is hardly difficult to understand that all these criminal activities by the Islamists represent the extension of their foreign inspired âcivilizational warâ undertaken to remove all traces of the historical Hindu past in the vale of Kashmir . Massive protests by the remaining less than 5,000 Kashmiri Pandits in the valley against criminally altering the socio-cultural complexion of Kashmir has been of no avail. On the contrary these extremely vulnerable non-Muslim Kashmiris have been exposed to serious intimidation and threats by a very powerful âIslamic Land Mafiaâ that if they do not stop protesting they would face dire consequences like the rest of the exiled Pandit community.
Disregarding the massive fatal attacks and life ending injuries inflicted upon non-Muslims i.e., Hindus and Sikhs during the past two decades, which consumed thousands of lives, the police establishment of the J&K Govt. two weeks ago, based on manufactured yet concealed evidence, shamelessly boasted that since 1989 only 209 Pandits lost their lives at the hands of the militants.
What a bald faced lie in an attempt to cover up and inadvertently aid the Islamic conspiracy against non-Muslims and India by a Govt. maintained with the Indian taxpayers funds. This politically motivated fabrication of a police report utterly failed to acknowledge dozens of massacres that took place in Kashmir - among them the carnages that bloodied the mother earth at Sangrampora, Gool, Wandhama, Talwani, Brariangan, Pethibug, and Nandigam. It did not make even a casual mention of the Pandit lives lost in bomb blasts, cross fires, deliberate violence, arson, harshness imposed by refugee life, heat, lack of resources, sunstrokes, hypertension, cancer, skin & other diseases, snake and scorpion bites, abnormally high heart attacks and heart failures etc.
1) Hindu Institutions being destroyed at an unprecedented Scale:
The process of desecration, loot, vandalizing and destruction of temples has continued in J&K under the anti-Hindu Islamic rule through generations with intent to wipe out all traces of religious and cultural symbols of Hindus. These targets besides the temples included libraries, schools, universities and ashrams. After country became free and Kashmir acceded to the Union of India in 1947 the destruction and desecration of temples under the new Islamic regimes wearing secular turbans received added impetus and acceleration.
Temple lands, cremation grounds and other such entities belonging to Hindus were usurped and utilized for expansion of the Islamic populace. The famous Bhairavnath temple of Chattabal , Srinagar was locked up by the police. The judicial case pending in court concerning this temple was never allowed to be decided. Precious lands around Hari Parbat hill, Durganag temple of Srinagar and lands at several Hindu places of worship in the Valley were slowly and steadily turned into lands under occupation of the Muslim trusts (Maqboozai-Ahali- Islam).
2) The law and order situation in the Valley since 1986 deteriorated progressively and temple desecration became the order of the day. The Islamic fundamentalist conspiracy against Hindus received unqualified support from the Pan Islamic Movement and from across the border. Here are some of the glaring examples that defy and shred into a million pieces the tall claims made by the Muslim leaders of Kashmir about their dedication and adherence to nationalism, multiculturalism, secularism, Kashmiriyat and religious freedom.
In 1967, Shivala temple, Chotta Nazar, Srinagar was desecrated. Again in 1984 Shri Hanuman temple at Hari Singh High Street was damaged and in the same year Arya Samaj temple of Wazir Bagh , Srinagar was burnt down.
3) Temples desecrated and damaged in Kashmir from 1990 to December 1992
1. DASHNAMI AKHARA, SRINAGAR
2. GANPATYAR TEMPLE
3. RAGHUNATH MANDIR, SRINAGAR
4. SHIVA TEMPLE , JAWAHAR NAGAR, SRINAGAR
5. HANUMAN MANDIR, SRINAGAR
6. SHIVA TEMPLE , BARBAR SHAH, SRINAGAR
7. JAI DEVI TEMPLE , BIJBEHARA
8. VIJESHWAR TEMPLE , BIJBEHARA
9. SHIVA MANDIR, BIJBEHARA
10. RAGHUNATH TEMPLE , ANANTNAG
11. GAUTAM NAG TEMPLE , ANANTNAG
12. THREE TEMPLES OF LUKHBHAVAN, LARKIPURA, ANANTNAG
13. WANPOH MANDIR, ANANTNAG
14. SHAILPUTRI TEMPLE , BARAMULLA
15. DAYALGAM MANDIR, ANANTNAG
16. BHAIRAVANATH MANDIR, BARAMULLA
17. BHAIRAVANATH MANDIR, SOPORE
18. RUPABHAVANI MANDIR, VASAKURA
19. KHIRBHAVANI MANDIR, GANDERBAL
20. SHIVA TEMPLE , GANDERBAL
21. MATTAN TEMPLE , ANANTNAG
There have been reports of further destruction of some 39 temples in Kashmir after December 6, 1992 for which FIR were filed. Please note that FIRs on all destruction cases were not filed with the authorities in view of the complicity of the administration and warnings of retaliation against the complainants by the Islamic terrorists. According to local eye witnesses accounts there were additional 38 temples that were vandalized after December 6, 1992.
These examples represent only a fraction of the systematic mass destruction of thousands of temples in J&K after independence of India when the Islamists assumed the total and unfettered control of the state. These examples are listed in details in our letter of February 21, 2008 (may be seen on website: http://www.bharatja gran.com/ under the heading - âMassive destruction of temples in J&K and Talibanization of the stateâ).
4) What is difficult to understand is that when the Govt. re-built Cherar-e-Shareef why canât it re-build Hindu temples destroyed in the wake of ethnic cleansing unleashed by the local and foreign Jihadists? The Indian Parliament adopted a law in 1991 specifically requiring that ââthe status of religious places, as on August 15, 1947 shall be retained". Under the present circumstances it is obligatory upon the Govt. as envisaged by the above referred law to maintain the integrity of religious entities as it stood in 1947. The J&K Government while flouting the law of the national legislature very conveniently divorced itself from this commitment. As always, the Indian authorities looked the other way.
Hon'ble Chief Minister, government's indifference towards the temple security and their functioning can only be termed as its support to persecution of Hindus and denial of their freedom of religion: Govt. must realize that the temples and their endowments have been built over the centuries by our forefathers and therefore, it is the community which is their real owner. Therefore, it is the community which must have the final say in the management and utilization of temple resources and management of educational institution.
5) Given the militant exposition and expansionist designs of the majority community - the Hindus as a minority in J&K need & must get special protection: Your governmentâs recent order making it mandatory to obtain its approval for the sale and purchase of properties held by Hindu shrines and religious places is right on the mark. However, this is only an initial step to correct the situation that has been wronged over many decades. It must be followed by other appropriate administrative measures like formation of a Waqf- like Hindu Board for their protection, preservation, administration and development.
For maintaining the real religious autonomy the Hindu community must retain power to decide the future of its educational and religious institutions and not the antagonistic work force of the biased J&K Govt. Clearly under estimating the possibility of the prevailing anti-Hindu policies coming into play in their dealings, particularly when their personal faith teaches them that Hindus are the infidels and kafirs, will be a grievous mistake.
6) Formation of a Waqf like autonomous Hindu Board for Hindu institutions' governance under the Hindu communityâs guidance is essential: Hon'ble Chief Minister, we strongly believe that for social, religious, educational and community affairs and services and temple administration there must be a representative but autonomous Hindu Board with full jurisdiction over temple governance and management. Since the right of freedom to manage religious places is available to the Muslim community which constitutes the majority in your state, where is the justification to deny this right to Hindus?
7) The Govt. must restore communityâs vital role in temple and educational institutions management through Hindu Advisory Councils: Such Councils representing the community and its leaders could play an important role in oversight, day to day administration and decision making process of the endowments department and temple Trusts . Additionally these Councils should have full authority for asking the Govt. to take swift measures for stopping desecration and decimation of the Hindu religious and educational infrastructure and for bringing the culprits to book.
8) Chief Minister Azad, we hereby urge you to take prompt action for protecting Hindu educational institutions, temples and Hindu community properties from illegal sales and annul all such sales that took place after 1988 by declaring them as âsales under duress.â This will be in keeping with the norms and practices in all open and democratic societies; and the secular Constitution of India. Restoration of the DAV High School in Srinagar to community management should be a priority, before the School campus is demolished by its new but unlawful owners.
If this double standard and extremely discriminatory policy against Hindus in Kashmir is not reversed, you can be sure that it will eventually transcend the state boundaries and impact adversely the privileges enjoyed by the Muslims as a minority community in India . In that case they will have nobody to blame except their fellow religionists and the Muslim Govt. of Kashmir. It is also relevant to point out that almost all of the budgetary expenditures in the J&K state are gifted by the Indian Govt. with taxes mostly paid by Hindus. Surely these taxpayers do not fund the Kashmir Govt. so it could destroy the age old Hinduism and its infrastructure for realizing the forced talibanization of the state.
Thank you Mr. Chief Minister. We shall be looking forward to your response and prompt action towards resolving this highly explosive but easily solvable situation.
Sincerely,
Dr. Jagan Kaul
Krishan Bhatnagar
Hindu Jagran Forum ( USA )
email: krishan.kb@verizon. net
May 11, 2008
Note: This letter will soon be posted on website: http://www.bharatja gran.com/
============ ========= ========= ========= ===
Attachment A
School building sold; students, teachers take to streets
The Tribune, Chandigarh
Friday, May 2, 2008,
Srinagar, May 1 : Traffic on the Srinagar airport road was today affected for an hour after students and teaching staff of DAV High School protested against the sale of school. The students and teaching staff of more than 60-year-old school today took to streets and blocked the main road at Magarmal Bagh.
Raising slogans against the school management, the students and teachers said the sale of the school building and its ground was illegal.
"Give us our school back," they demanded and appealed to authorities to intervene and save their future. They alleged that Kashmiri Pandit management without taking the parents and teaching staff into confidence had reportedly sold the school property. However, one person, who removed the school boards, said they have purchased the entire complex from the management. We have legal documents, including the sale deed, he said.
Hundreds of vehicles remained stranded for an hour as there was no police official. However, the traffic was allowed after a group of police personnel from Shergrahi police station reached the spot and assured the agitators that they would take the matter with the higher authorities. The DAV school was one of the leading schools before the Pandit management migrated from here after the eruption of militancy.
-- UNI
============ ========= ========= ========= ========= =
Attachment B
Valley temple trusts now need Govt OK to sell their property
by Toufiq Rashid( Indian Express- May 01,2008)
SRINAGAR, MAY 1: In order to safeguard the religious institutions and shrines of Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley, the J&K Government has passed an order which makes it mandatory to seek the Governmentâs approval for the sale and purchase of such property.
The Government is also likely to investigate the deals so far and take action in three months.
The April 16, 2008 order has come following an inquiry report which reveals violations in the process of sale and purchase of land belonging to Pandit religious institutions in the Valley.
In most of the cases, the shrine managers have been found guilty. The properties include shops and land belonging to temple trusts.
âWe had ordered an inquiry by the Settlement Commissioner of Jammu and Kashmir in February and found that there have been many cases where land and property of temples and other religious institutions of Kashmiri Pandits were sold by the mahants or temple managers. The order has been issued to safeguard these properties and put some checks and balances in place,â said Masaud Samoon, Secretary, Revenue, Jammu and Kashmir .
The J&K government passed an order stating that Deputy Commissioner of the area will be responsible for shrine properties. No sale deal can be registered without prior approval of the Deputy Commissioner of the concerned area. The order says that no revenue records should be issued to the mahants or managers of the shrine without the permission of the Deputy Commissioner.
The order states that any deal executed by any mahant or manager shall have to be attested by a Tehsildar after getting clearance from the Deputy Commissioner.
The issue was highlighted by a pressure group of Kashmiri Pandits who stayed back in the Valley after 1990. The group, Kashmiri Pandit Sangarsh Samiti, had even filed a case in the Jammu and Kashmir High Court demanding that all deals involving the temple properties after 1990 be cancelled and accounts of the trusts be sealed.
