Srinagar, Aug 17: No prayers were offered at the Hazratbal shrine for the fourth consecutive day Tuesday even as the Jammu and Kashmir Government woke up to the crisis and assured the residents that it would look into their demands including removal of the police barracks from the shrine complex.
After three days of silence, the Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, Meraj Ahmad Kakroo, visited the area to take stock of the situation and hear the people’s demands. “We apprised the officer about our demands which includes complete removal of police barracks from the shrine complex,” said the Hazratbal residents.
Witnesses said a charter of demands was presented to the DC, who assured the residents of “necessary action.”
“We will examine their demands and accordingly take action,” Kakroo told Greater Kashmir.
The chairman Muslim Waqf Board, Prof M Y Qadri, said he visited the shrine on Monday and assured the residents that the armed police companies who lathi-charged the devotees inside the shrine on Saturday would be transferred. “But they are demanding removal of police barracks, which, I told them, would be taken up with the government. And I also assured them that the shrine would be cleansed. But they are adamant on the barracks removal demand,” he told Greater Kashmir.
Qadri said government had agreed to transfer the police companies. “I also inspected the shrine. Yes, some windowpanes have been broken, but honestly I couldn’t find any major damage to the chandelier which people believed was broken,” he said.
While the talks between the people and Waqf Board failed, the dialogue with DC Srinagar didn’t yield any immediate results.
What added fuel to the fire on Tuesday was the Waqf Board’s refusal to give microphone to the people offering prayers on road outside the shrine premises. “The Waqf Board didn’t give us the microphone fearing that we might raise pro-freedom slogans. What if we do even that?” asked the residents. “Is it a sin to protest peacefully? The Waqf Board is a public institution and must respect the public sentiment.”
The shops in the entire area remained shut to protest the highhandedness of police.
The Hazratbal crisis erupted on Saturday when policemen beat up peaceful protesters inside the shrine, causing injuries to at least 30 persons including women. Police allegedly broke several windowpanes of the shrine. The police action evoked widespread condemnation from different political and non-political quarters.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 17 Aug 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 17 Aug 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 18 Aug 2010 00:00:00 IST