Jammu: A Kashmiri Pandits' body on Sunday said
dozens of temples in the state had been re-opened and rituals
performed over the last decade since the community's mass
exodus from the Valley at the height of militancy in the 90's.
"The All Party Migrant Coordination Committee (APMCC) has
re-opened dozens of temples in Kashmir valley during the past
decade and conducted 'yagnas' and religious festivals in which
thousands of Kashmiri Pandits thronged," APMCC Chairman Vinood
Pandit told reporters.
He was responding to a recent comment by a member of
Saadhoo Dharamsathaan Surakshini Samiti (SDSS) stating that
Kashmiri Hindus had not conducted prayers at even a single
temple in the Valley during the past two decades.
"APMCC and Temple committees in various towns and villages
have re-opened 47 temples, rebuilt a few shrines and removed
several encroachments from religious premises," he said.
Alleging "massive" land grabbing of temple plots in the
Valley, Pandit said the passage of the Temple and Shrines Bill
would help save the pantheons from land sharks and
encroachers.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, March 18, 2012, 20:16