No Dasehra celebrations in Valley, Pandits blame admn

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, October 18

Asserting that it was feeling “left out and alienated”, the Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Samiti on Thursday blamed the state for giving a cold shoulder to the minority community due to which it was not able to celebrate Dasehra.

“This year, the samiti could not organise Dasehra celebrations in Kashmir. Since the collapse of the PDP-BJP government, we sent a number of communications to Raj Bhawan to give us the time to discuss issues related to Kashmiri Pandits and celebrations of Dasehra in the Valley. But till date, Raj Bhawan could not spare us even a minute to talk. Under the Governor’s rule, we are feeling left out and alienated by the system,” samiti president Sanjay Tickoo said in a statement.

Stating that they had been organising Dasehra function regularly in the past, Tickoo said, “On the one hand, Raj Bhawan claims that its role is above politics but on the other hand, its policies are alienating people. We received a number of calls from people, including many from the majority community, about the celebrations. They were also saddened to know that this year, we are not organising the Dasehra function.”

‘Havan’ performed to mark Durga Navmi

Srinagar: The Hindu Welfare Society Kashmir performed a ‘havan’ to mark Dugra Navmi here on Thursday. “We  performed a havan at Shri Ramji Mandir in the Barbar Shah area of the city after which ‘prasad’ was distributed to around 400 devotees. The havan was performed to mark Durga Navmi on the concluding day of Navratras,” said society president Chunni Lal Bhat. He said a good number of devotees prayed at the temple despite a Hurriyat shutdown call and curbs in the city. “There was a rush of devotees despite the situation and we prayed for peace and prosperity. The Navratra celebrations are simple and distinct in Kashmir. Besides holding puja, we also fast for nine days,” he said. However, he said the Dasehra function, where effigies of Ravana, Kumbhkaran and Megnath are burnt, would not be held this year. TNS