National Conference General Secretary, Ali Muhammad Sagar on Monday expressed outrage at the burglary incident at the revered shrine of Hazrat Sheikh Syed Abdul Qadir Geelani RA (Dastageer Sahib) in Khanyar, seeking stringent punishment to the culprits.
In a statement, Sagar said he was shocked to hear about the burglars having decamped with cash after breaking the chest at the shrine.
“The incident has saddened me personally and numerous others who have an affinity with the shrine. I share the anguish of the thousands of followers whose feeling have been hurt. We have from time to time asked the administration to upgrade the security grid of the shrines like Hazratbal, Khanqa-e-Moala, Dastagir Sahib, Maqdoom Sahib and other shrines in Srinagar and elsewhere in Kashmir. These places are the epicenter of people’s faith and incidents like these hurt the sentiments of numerous followers and devotees. This incident should not be seen in isolation as previously also many religious places were desecrated and ransacked,” Sagar said.
He said the response of the administration towards such incidents has unfortunately been “very poor.” “I condemn the incident in unequivocal terms and demand a through and time bound probe. The culprits should be nabbed and given exemplary punishment. I also impress upon the administration to undertake a security audit of all the main shrines of Kashmir,” Sagar said.