Tension grips J&K after revered Sufi shrine is torched in Wani's hometown

SRINAGAR: Tension gripped Burhan Wani's township of Tral after miscreants allegedly set ablaze the revered shrine of Hazrat Mir Syed Muhammad Hamdani at Kouserbal in the intervening night of November 25 and 26.

Police said the incident occurred at 11.20 pm when miscreants attempted to desecrate the shrine of Hazrat Mir Syed Muhammad Hamdani.

“A portion of the mosque reserved for women for offering namaz was damaged, which, thankfully, was controlled by locals and Fire and Emergency Services”, said a police spokesman.

Police registered a case under different sections and launched a massive hunt to nab the culprits.

Tension was palpable in the area though no untoward incident has occurred so far. Sensing trouble, Deputy Commissioner of Pulwama Dr Raghav Langer and Senior Superintendent of Police, Awantipora, Tahir Saleem visited Tral and assured fast-track enquiry into the incident.

The Deputy Commissioner also interacted with members of the local Auquaf Committee, which demanded immediate arrest of the perpetrators.

The incident has sent shock waves across the length and breadth of the Union Territory as it has the potential to snowball into a major row.

Condemning the incident, Lieutenant Governor Girish Chandra Murmu said such incidents are designed to arouse passion among the people and hurt their sentiments which will not be tolerated.

“Perpetrators of this heinous act will not be spared and shall be brought to justice. Police have already launched a manhunt”, he said.

Murmu also appealed to the people to maintain peace and calm, and not got get swayed by any rumor-mongering. He directed Director General of Police Dilbag Singh to strengthen security around shrines across Jammu and Kashmir.

Lieutenant Governor Murmu also directed divisional commissioner, Kashmir, to take immediate measures at government expenses to restore the shrine to its pristine position.