India claims and portrays it-self to be a custodian and savior of the ancient cultural sites, religious places and traditions taking inspiration from the tranquility of Hinduism. But in reality the country’s socio-religious character is marred with Hindutva ideology dominated by the concept of superior Hindu religion/ nation.
• Charar-e-Sharief is a Sufi Muslim shrine and mosque situated in the town of Charari Sharief in Budgam district of IIOJK. On 11 May 1995, the shrine built of square-shaped wooden structure caught fire and was heavily damaged as a result of an action by Indian occupational forces.
• The Indian action razed off Kashmir’s holiest shrine and an adjoining mosque to the ground. Beside this, 2,200 shops and houses in the surrounding area were also destroyed by Indian army.
• The shrine has a great religious and historical significance in the cultural heritage of Kashmir and is considered the one of holiest place of Muslims in Kashmir.
• As per the New York Times, “with the Indian authorities preventing reporters from reaching the shrine, there was no independent assessment of the conflicting accounts of what touched off the events at the shrine, a square-shaped wooden structure dating to 1460 in the small town of Charar-i-Sharief”.
• The razing of the Charrar-e- Sharif, considered as the second holiest in the state of Jammu and Kashmir of was regarded as the part of Indian government plan to destroy the heritage places of Muslims to pursue the ideology of pure Hindu religion.
• Persecution of Churches, Mosques is the hallmark of Indian religious fanatics.
India has been facing direct rebuke from US, EU, UN organisations and HRW groups and NGOs in relation to its declining record of HRAs and religious intolerance.—PR
