PDP president Mehbooba Mufti attacks “dangerous trajectory of communal polarisation sparked by a controversial judgment delivered by a former CJI”.
Political leaders of Jammu and Kashmir reacted sharply on Thursday after a Rajasthan court issued notices in a lawsuit filed by Hindu groups alleging that a temple existed below the Ajmer Sharif Dargah. The court on Wednesday issued notices to various parties in the lawsuit filed by Hindu groups claiming that a temple existed under the Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti shrine at Ajmer and sought worshipping rights.
Former J&K chief minister and People’s Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti, in a statement, made a scathing attack over the “dangerous trajectory of communal polarisation sparked by a controversial judgment delivered by a former Chief Justice of India”.
Calling the judgment a grave misstep, she blamed it for enabling the targeted surveys of minority religious sites, including mosques and shrines like the iconic Ajmer Sharif, despite the Supreme Court’s ruling to maintain the 1947 status quo. “The ripple effects of this decision have already surfaced, with the recent violence in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, being a chilling consequence of the communal tensions it has stoked,” she said.
After hearing the case filed by Vishnu Gupta, the national president of the Hindu Sena, civil judge Manmohan Chandel issued notices to the Union minority affairs ministry, the Ajmer Dargah Committee and the Archeological Survey of India, which has also been made a party.
Can’t let politics dictate humanity: Mehbooba
Mufti took to X to express her concern, stating: “Thanks to a former Chief Justice of India, a Pandora’s box has been opened, sparking a contentious debate about minority religious places. Despite a Supreme Court ruling to maintain the status quo as it existed in 1947, his judgment has paved the way for surveys of these sites, potentially increasing tensions between Hindus and Muslims. The recent violence in Sambhal is the direct result of this judgment. First mosques, and now Muslim shrines like Ajmer Sharif, are being targeted, which can result in further bloodshed. The question remains — who will take responsibility for perpetuating this communal violence reminiscent of the Partition days?”
Mufti alleged that this judgment aligns conveniently with the government’s divisive agenda, as minority communities are systematically isolated and their faiths undermined. “We cannot let politics dictate our humanity. Today, it’s Muslim shrines. Tomorrow, it could be any minority community. The flames of communalism don’t discriminate once they’re lit.”
Ajmer symbolises spiritualism: Lone
People’s Conference president and Handwara MLA Sajad Gani Lone was equally upset over the lawsuit. “Yet another shocker. The suit filed in pursuit of a temple supposedly hidden somewhere in the Ajmer Dargah Sharif. As we bid goodbye to 2024, we are in the age of artificial intelligence. The tech age. And as Indians let us be honest. We have not contributed to any technological revolution,” he said on X.
He said that Indian tech revolution was as users not as inventors. “Our desire for invention seems to be all invested in our obsession to invent hidden temples. And make no mistakes. A statistically significant section of the population is applauding it. The more the educated, the more temple-searchers they tend to be,” he said.
He gave the example of Dubai in the late ’90s and its current status. “What an oasis of tolerance and mutual respect Dubai has turned out to be. So good it is. Literally every nationality is here and in what an orderly manner they live…And looking back at my own country. How we have regressed. The electoral victories have come at a cost, which have left this country soulless,”“he said.
“Ajmer of all the places symbolises spiritualism. It is the destination of all faiths, where all converge irrespective of religion, caste or creed. A unique belief and trust in the spiritual deliverance of that great seat of spirituality,” he added.
