Kulgam Temple Desecrated; Kashmiri Pandits Claim Foul Play, Police Says Accidental Fire

NEW DELHI: The Temple of Mata Tripur Sundari (Devsar) in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir was severely damaged and burnt in parts on Friday.

The local Kashmiri Pandits claim the temple was desecrated by miscreants and they want the culprits to be punished and immediate probe should be done in the matter.

Kashmiri Pandits took to twitter to express their anger on the incident. One user @sanjaybhat0712 tweeted:

“Most unfortunate and sad news for the Kashmiri Pandit Community.”

However, the police denied the act of vandalism and said in a tweet that it was due to accidental fire by diyas. The tweet by District Police Kulgam read, “The minor fire incident in Mata Tripur Sundari (Devsar) temple is being investigated by Police. Pre Enquiry reveals fire happened accidentally by the Diyas/Arti being kept in temple for daily routine… No sign of Miscreant act. Public are requested not to pay heed to rumours.”

Politics has started brewing over the incident in the area. Vijay Rana, BJP District Spokesperson and Sarpanch of the area Kulgam tweeted: “Deeply pained to know about the desecration of Mata Tripursundri Mandir in Devsar Kulgam. This is the second such type of attack on Hindu Temple in Kashmir after Martand. Sentiments of Hindus are being hurt deliberately. I demand immediate arrest of culprits involved”.

Another leader from the state, Mohit Bhan,spokesperson, JKPDP countered Rana and tweeted: “A former Legislator & Sarpanch belonging to BJP are spreading rumours of vandalism at Mata Tripur Sundari temple, Kulgam. Their Tweets are creating communal tensions. They are risking the life of KP’s living in Kashmir & defaming Muslims to appease larger Hindu audience outside.”

The incident at the Mata Tripura Sundari Temple in Devsar area is being investigated. Few Months back miscreants in the state had desecrated the temple of Bargheshekha Bhagwati Mata Temple in the Mattan area of Anantnag, in South Kashmir. In the attack, the idols of the goddess were desecrated and the miscreants also tried to set the temple on fire.

Also Read Story

INTERVIEW| Modiji helped my mother Vasundhara Raje when he was Gujarat CM: Dushyant Singh

Congress couldn’t field Jatav Dalit like me on general seat, aiding Birla in Kota: Rajasthan’s youngest MLA Nouksham

‘Om Birla was most intelligent of us all, we 9 siblings still use ancestral home for functions’: Brother, sister in Kota

Forget Shah Jahan’s love, pyaar, ishq; Agra wants education first