Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 27: Prem Nath Bhat Memorial Trust, the nodal organization for the Shrine Bill movement, has strongly protested against the continuing destruction of the ancient shrines in Kashmir under the cover of the ongoing Parliamentary elections. The holy shrines of Bhairav Asthaapan at Chattabal Srinagar was leveled with a bulldozer last week without the administration taking any action.
The Trust in a handout issued here today said prime land belonging to Lord Shiva temple in Bijbehara is in advanced stage of occupation. While the Government machinery uses the Parliamentary elections as an easy pretext, to remain inactive, the religious heritage is being destroyed with impunity.
Giving details of the violations, Dr R L Bhat, spokesperson of the Trust said that nearly 35 kanals of the land of Shivji Maharaj Temple, near Gurudwara on the National Highway, in Bijbehara were in advanced state of encroachment by a person whose earlier occupation and claim to this shrine land had been rejected by the High Court. The structures raised by him on the shrine land were then demolished.
He said taking advantage of the elections, he had again erected pillars on the temple land and was now in the process of shuttering to put a roof over it. PNBMT demanded immediate action and the removal of the structures.
PNBMT spokesperson further said that despite the protest of the local Pandits as well as the Trust, the violation and vandalisation of the Bhairav Shrine at Chattabal in Srinagar continued. The hoary Shrine spread over 8 – 10 kanals of land on the banks of Dudh Ganga, has been leveled.
PNBM Trust has reliable information and that the violators plan to grab the rest of the prime land. The delay in Shrine Bill has encouraged the land mafia and others to violate the shrines and appropriate their lands. PNBM Trust suspects that there may be more violations and occupation of temple lands which have yet not been reported.
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