For Shias and Sunnis, there’s a lot in the name of a Chowk
Pattan-Magam belt under curfew


AHMED ALI FAYYAZ

SRINAGAR, Jan 5: In immediate response to the eruption of sectarian tension---exclusively reported by Early Times in today’s issue---authorities have imposed curfew over around 50 villages in the Central Kashmir Magam-Pattan belt, even as the residents have formed a joint forum of 60 representatives of Sunni and Shia Muslims and Deputy Commissioner of Baramulla is personally participating in its first meeting on Wednesday to resolve the crisis. Conflict over the name of a Chowk has snowballed into a major trouble as the Shias want it to be known as ‘Imam Khomeini Chowk’ and the Sunnis insist that it be christened either after the name of a hamlet or a militant killed over a decade ago.

DC Baramulla, Lateef-uz-Zamaan Deva, told Early Times that curfew was imposed as a precautionary measure in Pattam-Magam belt, bordering Baramulla and Budgam districts in Central Kashmir, late last night as mischief mongers seemed to be bent upon turning a trivial issue into a sectarian clash. He said that rumour mills worked overnight to spread that this particular number of the people had been killed and that particular place of worship had been set on fire. “Fact of the matter is that nobody was either killed or injured and not a minor incident of any desecration or attack on any place of worship, mosque or Imambargah took place”, DC Baramulla said over telephone late tonight.

Mr Deva said that he, alongwith SSP Baramulla, Viplab Kumar, camped in the tense Pattan-Magam belt in the last 24 hours. He said that the prominent Shia spiritual and political leader, Maulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, played a very positive role in defusing the crisis as he deputed his brother, Amjad Ansari, who toured the area under curfew with Additional DC Baramulla, Mohammad Ashraf Shonthu, and the tension began receding by this evening. On the other hand, DC Budgam, Mohammad Rafi, and SSP Budgam, Aftab Ahmed Kakroo, remained camping in Magam-Beerwah area.

Police and Civil Administration of both the districts met at Magam late in the afternoon and their persuasive interaction with the residents resulted in shouting of Shia-Sunni unity slogans in the township.

DC Baramulla said that he personally interacted with the representatives of both the Muslim sects and succeeded in forming a joint forum of 60 men---40 from the Sunni populated Sherabad (Khour) and Begpora villages and 20 from the adjoining Shia village of Naulari. He said that the first meeting of this joint body would take place at a doctor’s residence at Naulari tomorrow and he would personally attend it. He said that the situation was tense but under control. He expressed optimism that the tension would substantially recede in the next 24 hours and the prohibitory orders could be withdrawn in a day or two.

As already reported, tension had erupted over the name of a village square at Hagarpora-Kongamdara last weekend. While the Shia residents of Hagarpora had installed a hoarding of their spiritual leader and godfather of the Iranian revolution of 1979, Ayatollah Khomeini, after his death 20 years ago, Sunni residents of the adjoining Kongamdara had installed the hoarding of a militant killed over a decade ago. Shias had christened it as “Imam Khomeini Chowk” and the Sunnis as “Shaheed Nazir Ahmed Chowk” after the name of the militant. Romanticism, however, remained restricted to the hoardings as the Shias called it Hagarpora Chowk and the Sunnis knew it by the name of Kongamdara Chowk. Tension erupted when both the hoardings disappeared in mysterious circumstances last week.

DC Baramulla insisted that the Shias had actually named it after the former Iranian President and the living spiritual leader, Ayatollah Syed Ali Khamnai. He said that he had already worked on it and fixed a meeting of residents of both the villages on January 6th as members of the rival groups had agreed to name it after the “much revered Imam Khomeini”. The meeting would decide whether it would be named as “Khomeini Chowk Hagarpora” or “Khomeini Chowk Kongamdara”, he said. According to him, leaders of both the villages, divided on sectarian lines, had agreed to go by the revenue records and accept his decision.

Meanwhile, last week another incident occurred at Naulari, not far away from Hagarpora which accentuated the trouble. Officials said that residents of Naulari had organized a sit-in while demanding better power supply. Entire vehicular traffic, including security forces, changed the route. Inspector Mohammad Ramzan Ganai, resident of Sherabad (Khour), who is posted in Traffic Police, insisted to pass through the dharna. Someone in the mob lobbed a Kangri on his car and he was booed away towards his home. Later he filed FIR against residents of Naulari and allegedly mobilized residents of three adjoining village to plunder the hamlet of Naulari.

Reports said that SHO Pattan, Inspector Abdul Majeed, failed to handle the situation judiciously and his continuous raids in Naulari around the sensitive 10th of Moharram led to spreading of trouble to a new flashpoint.

Meanwhile, most of the separatist leaders, including Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Mohammad Yasin Malik, Shabir Ahmed Shah, Jamiat Ahli Hadith chief, Maulvi Showkat, Anjuman Sharayee Shia’an President, Aga Syed Hassan, besides J&K Shia Association President, Maulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, and Speaker of Legislative Assembly, Mohammad Akbar Lone, have condemned “attempts of divisive forces and mischief mongers to create sectarian tension in Kashmir, known for its communal and sectarian harmony for centuries”. In their separate statements, they have invariably made an appeal to members of both the sects of Muslims to maintain the centuries old atmosphere of harmony and remain vigilant against the evil designs of mischief mongers.

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