Prominent Shia cleric Imran Reza Ansari on Monday walked out of a meeting chaired by Jammu & Kashmir Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha over the upcoming Muharram processions in the Valley.
The L-G administration, for the first time in over three decades, is mulling over lifting the ban on a set of Muharram processions in Kashmir’s Guru Bazar-Dal Gate route. The administration is also reviewing the ban imposed on a set of processions on routes in Srinagar.
Official sources said the meeting started with the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, asking Mr. Ansari to introduce himself to the Governor and give his feedback on the arrangements being made for Muharram, an Islamic month where the community recalls and mourns the sacred Battle of Karbala.
“I pointed out how L-G Sinha, who is occupying the highest position in J&K, and other senior officials, visited the Amarnath shrine multiple times but failed to reach out to the community. The L-G’s visit [to Shia areas] would have sent a positive message to the community as well as to the administration. I walked out when I sensed I was being given a dictation,” Mr. Ansari, who heads the All Jammu and Kashmir Shia Association, told The Hindu.
Mr. Ansari expressed unhappiness over “poor arrangements and insensitivity shown by the L-G administration”.
Sources said J&K Chief Secretary Arun Kumar took exception to Mr. Ansari’s remarks and accused him of having a “communal and sectarian tone”. This sparked a heated exchange between the two, with Mr. Ansari leaving the meeting in protest.
“It pains me to see this daily dose of humiliation for Kashmiris. I don’t understand whether they are politicians or bureaucrats. I challenge them to talk in this tone to any person in public life in the rest of the country. Are we second class citizens that bureaucrats have been given a license to humiliate us?” Mr. Ansari asked.
He said Mr. Sinha was a politician selected by the Central government for J&K. “He [the L-G] is not elected. I hope he keeps this in mind. And I would love to see whether he would appreciate similar behaviour by a bureaucrat in his home State, Uttar Pradesh,” Mr. Ansari said.
The J&K People’s Conference strongly condemned the State administration’s alleged behaviour towards Mr. Ansari, who is also a member of the party.
“We express deep concern over this dangerous precedent being set by the administration. It started with the humiliation of political leaders, and now they are moving on into the domain of humiliating religious leaders. Some bureaucrats have donned the hats of politicians and these politico-bureaucrat rogue variants of the bureaucracy feel that it is their divine duty to humiliate the [regional] political class,” a J&K People’s Conference spokesperson said.
The Raj Bhavan here has not reacted to Mr. Ansari’s allegations.
“This [Muharram] is the occasion of utmost religious importance for all of us. The UT [Union Territory] administration and Government of India is working with sensitivity and commitment to ensure that all arrangements are made for smooth, safe and hassle-free conduct of Muharram,” the L-G said in a statement.
