Army maintains silence over Pulwama mosque incident, as religious bodies seek clarification

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.

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.

The Army is facing serious allegations from Pulwama residents and local leaders, including Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti, National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah and Ghulam Nabi Azad, of forcing worshippers at a mosque in Zadoora village, Pulwama, to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans during pre-dawn Azaan (Muslim call for prayers).

The Army has not commented on the issue. It neither confirmed nor refused the reports of an Army officer being shifted after the incident in Pulwama. 

The MMU “strongly condemned” the incident. It named the Army’s 50 Rashtriya Rifles and accused the troops of “harassing locals in Pulwama and beating up residents, before forcing them to raise non-Muslim slogans from the mosque” last week.

“The silence maintained by the authorities in this regard is unacceptable. They should clarify their position in this regard, as the religious sentiments of Muslims have been hurt and people are shocked,” an MMU spokesman said.