Scores of people from Gujjar community assembled here in Press Enclave Srinagar on Saturday. The protesting Gujjars alleged that incumbent PDP-BJP government is anti-Muslim that is getting directions from Nagpur based RSS headquarters. The protesters said that on the directions of Forest Minister Lal Singh, the Wild Life Department has locked down the 45 years old mosque in Malnad Gujjar Basti Harwan area of Srinagar city. “The Wild Life Department has done fencing of the land surrounding the mosque and has locked it. From past one month, people are not able to offer congregational prayers in the mosque. This mosque is not the property of Forest Department but had been constructed some four decades ago by local population here. From past 40 years, we had been offering prayers in the mosque but the BJP Forest Minister claimed the land belonged to Forest Department and directed Wild Life officials to lock down the mosque,” one of the protesters Zahid Ahmed Chowdary told CNS. The people from Kalakot Rajouri who were also part of the same protest alleged that State Government in a bid to construct a Degree College in Kalakot has grabbed 200 years old graveyard. “During Omar Abdullah Government the Department of Education tried to usurp this grave yard but government was forced to go on back foot after our relentless protests. Even the former Education Minister Nayeem Akhtar refused the proposal of the government to build a college on this grave yard, but now the BJP-PDP government is hell-bent to occupy this grave yard,” the protesters said and alleged that PDP has surrendered before BJP to stay in power. “People are burying their dead in the graveyard from past 200 years. To hurt the religious sentiments of the people, government has occupied the graveyard. We appeal Chief Minister and Education Minister to look into the matter and identify land at some other place for the proposed college,” the protesters said.
