JK Govt Says 'No' to Sri Sri Ravishankar Proposed Pilgrimage

SRINAGAR:Facing heat from the separatist camp over the proposal of a New Delhi-based group to organise a pilgrimage to an ancient cave in central Kashmir, the J&K government Thursday said it will not allow "any event meant to disturb peace" in the state.

"We have not received any request for the pilgrimage nor will we allow any such event. The government has already made it clear that any activity that has the potential to disturb peace in J&K will not be allowed to take place," Naeem Akhtar, the J&K government spokesperson said.

Acharya Abhinav Gupt Sheshadri Samroh Samiti, a New Delhi based organisation headed by Art of Living founder, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, is planning to conduct the pilgrimage to “Abhinav Gupt cave” in Beerwah town of Budgam district for the first time in the second week of June.

The event has raised eyebrows of the separatist leaders at a time when the proposals for constructing Sainik Colony for ex-servicemen and townships for migrant Kashmiri Pandits has already flared up tempers in the Kashmir Valley.

In a statement on Thursday, veteran Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Geelani termed the event as an attempt of “RSS-backed communal forces to implement their cultural aggression program in J&K”.

"These actions are politically motivated and are aimed at diverting the attention from the serious situations in Kashmir. They want to disturb the communal harmony of the state so that they can project the genuine struggle of Kashmiris as a communal issue,” Geelani said.

The Hurriyat leader said the 'baseless' story of religious significance of the cave, which is highly popular among the locals of Beerwah, has no historicity attached with it. “The state high court has also made it clear that there is no circumstantial evidence available to prove these claims (of religious significance) about this cave. The revenue department of J&K government had also denied any such story regarding the cave,” Geelani said.

The proposed event has also evoked concern from the civil society groups who have dubbed the move as an attempt to disturb the peace in the state. “These actions are politically motivated and are aimed to divert the attention from the serious situations in Kashmir. They want to disturb the communal harmony of the state so that they can project the genuine struggle of Kashmiris as a communal issue,” Geelani said.