Srinagar- Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha said on Monday that the government of India and the Union Territory administration is working with sensitivity and commitment to ensure that all arrangements are made for smooth, safe and hassle-free conduct of Muharram.
He made these remarks while chairing a high level meeting at the Civil Secretariat here to review arrangements for Muharram. The meeting was attended by heads of religious organisations, eminent members of Shia Community; besides Chief Secretary Dr Arun Kumar Mehta, Principal Secretary to LG Dr Mandeep Kumar Bhandari, ADGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar, ADGP Hqrs M.K Sinha, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Vijay Kumar Bidhuri; Administrative Secretaries; Deputy Commissioners; Heads of Departments and other senior officers of UT administration.
“This is the occasion of utmost religious importance for all of us. The UT administration and Government of India is working with sensitivity and commitment to ensure that all arrangements are made for smooth, safe and hassle-free conduct of Muharram,” Sinha said.
He directed the Deputy Commissioners to ensure improved connectivity to Imambaras, power supply, availability of extra ration, water and basic amenities, regular market inspection, cleanliness, traffic management, best possible medical facilities to the people.
He also sought valuable inputs from the eminent representatives of Shia Community on the Muharram arrangements.
Sinha assured prompt and appropriate steps to address the issues and demands raised during the interaction. Deputy Commissioners briefed the meeting on the preparations and arrangements made in their respective districts for Muharram.
Ansari Alleges ‘Humiliation’, Walks Out Of Meeting
People’s Conference on Monday alleged that senior party leader and Shia cleric Imran Ansari was “humiliated” by the administration during a meeting chaired by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Muharram arrangements.
The party said Jammu and Kashmir is administered in a “new hybrid model”, in which some bureaucrats have donned the hats of politicians and these politico-bureaucrat “rogue variant” of the bureaucracy feel that it is their divine duty to humiliate the political class.
“JKPC strongly condemns the behaviour displayed by the state administration towards Imran Ansari, an eminent religious leader of the Shia community. We express deep concern over this dangerous precedent being set by the administration. It started the humiliation of political leaders, and now they are moving on into the domain of humiliating religious leaders,” a spokesman of the party said.
He said it certainly does not behove the head of the state administration, even if “he is regrettably selected and not elected”, to preside over and voluntarily facilitate the humiliation of a religious leader, who was invited cordially.
According to sources close to Ansari, the Shia leader had taken exception to the administration setting a cap of only 100 persons for taking part in the Muharram processions on traditional routes in Srinagar, which have been banned for the past three decades.
Ansari had highlighted that while the entire administration and locals of Kashmir were welcoming the lakhs of Amarnath pilgrims, there was no justification for setting the limit on the number of persons in the Muharram procession, the sources said.
They said a senior bureaucrat, who was present in the meeting, objected to Ansari hinting at sectarian discrimination by the administration which led to exchange of words between the two. Ansari later walked out of the meeting, the sources said.
When contacted, Ansari said it pained him to see “this daily dose of humiliation for Kashmiris”.
“I don’t understand whether these are politicians or bureaucrats. I challenge them to talk in this tone to any person in public life in the rest of the country. Are we second class citizens that bureaucrats have been given a license to humiliate? The LG is a politician who has been selected by the central government. He is not elected. I hope he keeps this in mind. And I would love to see whether he would appreciate similar behaviour by a bureaucrat in his home state, UP,” Ansari added. (PTI)
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