Facing outrage from regional leaders, the Army has been maintaining silence over the recent allegations against its troops of barging into a mosque in south Kashmir’s Pulwama on June 24 and forcing locals to chant Jai Shri Ram slogans. Meanwhile, the Muttahida Majlis-e-Ulama (MMU), an amalgam of various Islamic organisations, has sought a clarification from the authorities in Jammu and Kashmir.
Aadil Nazir Khan, an activist, on Tuesday said the recent incident in Pulwama was the second attempt “to interfere with the religious practices of Muslims” in Jammu and Kashmir. “Organising yoga sessions at the Sheikh-ul-Alam Shrine recently and the barging of the Army men into Pulwama mosques are direct interferences with our religious affairs. Which constitution allows chanting of Jai Shri Ram in mosques? We know how to fight peacefully and democratically against such interference,” Mr. Khan said.
He alleged that the locals were being threatened with FIRs and Public Safety Act (PSA) if they voiced their concern. “Why are Muslim religious leaders like Maulana Rehmatullah Mir Qasmi summoned, and Muslim scholars Mushtaq Ahmad Veeri and Abdul Rashid Dawoodi arrested,” Mr. Khan asked.
