Srinagar police chief Dr Haseeb Mughal on Monday said that the order directing the five zonal superintendents of police to provide the list of mosques in the city and its management committees was a “routine policing exercise”.
Talking to Greater Kashmir, SSP Srinagar, Dr. Mughal said the exercise is being carried out to update the data for policing. “We have the details of gurduwars, masajids and other religious institutions. It is part of normal policing,” he said.
The order has added to the speculation about some major decision in the offing regarding Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.
“Please provide details of mosques and their managements falling without your respective jurisdictions as per enclosed proforma to this office immediately for onward submission to higher authorities,” read an order issued by the Srinagar senior superintendent of police to the zonal SPs on Sunday night.
The order, which is being widely circulated on social media, has added to the speculation that the Centre might have plans to do away with Article 35A, which gives exclusive rights to the state’s residents in government jobs and land.These speculations have dominated the discourse in Kashmir over the past few days after the Centre decided to rush an additional 100 companies of central armed paramilitary forces to the valley. The mainstream political parties have vowed to resist any such move to tinker with the special status.
