After amendment to Artilce 370 and bifurcation of Jammu & Kashmir, there have been appeals to Governor to constitute Kashmir Hindu Temples & Shrines Board to safeguard the Hindu temples and heritage in the union territory.
Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo (inset) has appealed to the governer to establish a board to safeguard the historical and cultural legacy of Kashmir
Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo, BJP State Spokesperson on Kashmir Affairs, in a statement in Jammu, after his Kashmir tour, has said that the Parliament of India, on 5th and 6th of August 2019, passed with more than two third majority, Resolutions, Bills and the Presidential Order in context of Jammu and Kashmir state. Waves of happiness all around whole of India were witnessed consequent upon this historic decision. It brought the residents of the Jammu and Kashmir state out of the shackles of seventy year old slavery that Article 370 and Article 35A had inflicted upon them.
A large number of people in and outside the state expressed their opinion in its favour and against the decision keeping in view their political affiliations. The biggest development that created the news and impact is that there have been no major untoward incident of killings consequential to the use of force by the security forces in the state. In fact a number of killings took place due to terror related incidents which included child and women killings also.
The dreams of Kashmiri Pandit community and the nationalist people in the Jammu and Kashmir state have been realised with this historic happening. The division of Jammu and Kashmir state into two Union Territories namely Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh is also inspired by great political sagacity and calculation. The way these historical decisions have broken the ideological spine of separatism, religious fundamentalism and terrorism is indeed appreciable.
In context of the historic decisions taken, time has come to make concrete advances and for that it is important to realise the Geo-political and fundamental aspirations of the Indegenous people of Kashmir, the Kashmiri Pandits, as early as possible.
Return and resettlement of the displaced Kashmiri Pandit community are very important issues of concern. Prelude to that, it is paramount to organise the Hindu temples and shrines of Kashmir for which there is a need for the establishment of a Board through a Bill or an Ordinance. Since these hundreds and thousands of places of worship and faith constitute the civilisational legacy of Kashmir, priority needs to be given to this issue as a major confidence building measure in favour of the displaced Kashmiri Pandit community. Dharmarth Trust has been found wanting in the Kashmir valley in this context and it has, with the passage of time, absolved its role as well.
It is appealed to the Hon’ble Governor to take this issue on priority as a measure public welfare issue concerning the historical and cultural legacy of Kashmir and Kashmiri Pandits and announce the formation of a Kashmir Hindu Temples and Shrines Board for protection, promotion and management of these revered places in Kashmir and the lands and properties attached to them. This will pave the way to erase the shadows of encroachment on these places of worship and their properties throughout the length and breadth of the Kashmir valley.
