Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 31: The Prem Nath Bhat Memorial Trust (PNBMT) expresses its outrage, deep anguish, and unequivocal condemnation over the outright rejection of the “Temple Protection and Restoration Bill” in the Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Monday.
The Bill, introduced by Balwant Singh Mankotia, sought to confront a painful and long-ignored reality-the systematic encroachment, desecration, and decay of hundreds of temples and religious properties belonging to the displaced Kashmiri Pandit community, the Trust in a handout said today, said its rejection by the Government of Omar Abdullah is not merely disappointing-it is a stark display of apathy, selective blindness, and a disturbing lack of political will.
For over three decades, KPs have lived in exile, stripped of their homes, their security, and their heritage. The destruction and occupation of temples during the peak of militancy was not incidental-it was an assault on identity, faith, and history. What stands today in Kashmir is not just neglect, but the silent erasure of a civilization, the Trust said.
The Government’s claim that “existing laws are sufficient” is not just hollow, it is an insult to the lived reality of thousands of abandoned and encroached religious sites. If these laws had any real force, the temples of Kashmir would not be in ruins, nor would their lands be under illegal occupation even today. PNBMT has, for over 25 years, relentlessly pursued the demand for a dedicated legal framework yet this legitimate demand continues to be ignored.
The Kashmiri Pandit Conference (KPC) president, Kundan Kashmiri, also expressed its deepest anguish, strongest condemnation, and unequivocal resentment over the shocking rejection of the Temple Protection and Restoration Bill in the Assembly.
It said the Bill, sought to address the long-pending and deeply painful issue of encroachment, destruction, and neglect of hundreds of temples and religious properties belonging to the displaced Kashmiri Pandit community. Its rejection by the Omar Abdullah led Government is not only unfortunate but profoundly disturbing, reflecting insensitivity and a deeply biased approach toward a victimized and displaced community.
KPC said during the peak of militancy, hundreds of temples were desecrated, abandoned, or illegally occupied. These were not merely structures, but sacred symbols of an ancient civilization and spiritual heritage that was violently uprooted.
J&K unit of Shiv Sena (UBT) also flayed the rejection of ‘Temple Protection and Restoration Bill.
Shiv Sena J&K president Manish Sahni termed rejection of the bill as a well-planned conspiracy between BJP and the government and claimed it a blatant betrayal of the faith of Hindu and Kashmiri Pandit community.
He said that more than 1,400 temples and their properties in J&K with estimated value of over Rs. 25,000 crore are under illegal occupation.
“After the exodus of KPs in 1990, large-scale encroachments took place on temples’ lands and the successive governments remained mute spectators,” the Shiv Sena leader maintained.
He rejected the claim of Deputy Chief Minister that existing laws are sufficient to protect the temples in Kashmir.
Sahni said that if concrete steps are not taken soon for the protection of temples and removal of encroachments from there, Shiv Sena will take to streets and expose the double standards of both the government and the opposition.
Vikas Bakshi, Sanjay Bhatt and Jasbir Singh were also present on the occasion.
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