Police denies foul play
Excelsior Correspondent
KULGAM (Kashmir), Jan 14: As the news of a minor fire at an ancient temple in Kashmir broke out, Kashmiri Pandits lodged a protest alleging foul play and demanded the arrest of those who ‘engineered’ the act.
The police on the other hand said its preliminary investigation suggested that it was an accidental fire that may have been caused by the burning diyas at the Mata Lalita Tripura Sundari shrine in Devsar area of South Kashmir’s Kulgam district on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday.
“The minor fire incident in Mata Tripur Sundari (Devsar) temple is being investigated by Police. Pre Enquiry reveals that Fire happend accidentally by the Diyas/arti being kept in Temple for daily routine…. No signs of miscreant act. Public are requested not to pay heed to rumors (sic), Kulgam district police tweeted.
Kulgam Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) G V Sundeep Chakravarthy and Deputy Commissioner, Bilal Mohi-ud-Din Bhat rushed to the temple to investigate.
The Kashmiri Pandits, however, alleged the police of a cover up. They questioned how the fire broke out at midnight in such extreme cold conditions and how the tree, considered to the seat of the deity, was burnt while curtains and threads offered by devotees were not, representatives of Tripur Sundri Sanstha in a statement today.
“It’s not possible that diyas could cause such fire, that too, when no one enters the temple these days…..How can a diya cause fire at 1 am,” the Sanstha asked?.
“This is unacceptable and the local authorities rushing to conclusions without investigating is even more tormenting,” former BJP lawmakers Surinder Ambardar and Ajay Bharti said.
Demanding an unbiased investigation, Vishwa Kashmiri Samaj convenor Kiran Watal said, “It is the duty of the Lt Governor administration and police to protect centuries-old religious heritage temples and shrines in Kashmir.
Condemning the incident KP Sabha chief K K Khosa, B B Gosani general secretary ASKPC and other KP organisations demanded probe into the incident.
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