Ajmer shrine survey: J&K parties, religious leaders express concern

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti says the status of religious places, whether temples or mosques, should be maintained as was in 1947 and should not be altered

Several political and religious leaders of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday (November 28, 2024) continued to express their anger over a court survey of the Khwaja Moin-ud-din Chishti shrine in Rajasthan’s Ajmer. 

Warning of disturbances akin to the Partition of 1947, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti said the recent violence in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, where several innocent lives were lost, if unchecked, could push the nation towards chaos.

Ms. Mufti advocated that the status of religious places, whether temples or mosques, should be maintained as was in 1947 and should not be altered. “Unfortunately, the judgment of the former Chief Justice of India has opened a path where controversies over religious sites are escalating,” she said.

She also highlighted that the Ajmer shrine was “a site revered by people of all faiths, including Hindus, and remained a symbol of harmony with a history spanning over 800 years.”

CPI(M) leader and legislator M.Y. Tarigami said the decision of a civil court in Ajmer, Rajasthan, to ascertain if there was a temple beneath was “unwarranted and without legal standing”. “It goes against the provisions of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991. Asking for surveys through petitions of religious places like Dargah Ajmeer Sharif is unacceptable and should be discouraged by the government,” Mr. Tarigami said.

‘Deliberate pattern’

Speaking during the Friday (November 29, 2024) congregation at Jama Masjid, Srinagar, chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said, “There seems to be a deliberate pattern where first doubts are raised, then the court orders surveys, and then majority claims have to be satisfied. This is an extremely disturbing and serious issue for the Muslims of not only India and Kashmir but the subcontinent and the world over.”

He said such actions backed by the judiciary and the government deeply undermine the religious sentiments of crores of Muslims living in this part of the world. “If India is a secular state as per its preamble, run by a Constitution which includes the Places of Worship Act, then why are such issues allowed to be raked up and entertained continuously?” the Mirwaiz said. 

Anjuman-E-Sharie Shian president Aga Syed Hassan Mosavi Al-Safavi said these claims undermine the law and the Constitution. “After claims on Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi, Shahi Eidgah in Mathura, Bhojshala Mosque in Madhya Pradesh, Teele Wali Masjid in Lucknow, and Sambhal Sama Masjid, a claim has now been made on the historic Ajmer Dargah. I appeal to the Chief Justice of India to take immediate suo motu action in this matter and direct lower courts to refrain from entertaining further disputes,” he said.

Published - November 29, 2024 09:48 pm IST