Jammu: Jammu administration has renamed a student dormitory after a Hindu goddess and removed the name of a local Muslim saint on May 3, The Hindu reported.
The move was criticised by the Peoples Democratic Party.
Vishesh Paul Mahajan, the District Development Commissioner for Doda, reportedly expressed a desire to “revisit and rename (the dormitory) with Asikni House for the construction of dormitory for the students belonging to Doda district and ensure the laying of the Askiri House foundation stone by 10th of May,” according to an official statement.
Hindu deity Asikni is Daksha’s consort in the Puranic pantheon.
The dormitory was once known as Asraria and is located in Jammu, the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir.
Shah Asrar Ud-Din is a revered local saint whose shrine is located in Kishtwar in the Chenab Valley.
The shrine, also known as Darbar-e Asrariya and Astan-e-Payeen locally, is highly loved by both the local Muslims and Hindus.
When the Deputy Commissioner has an issue with “Asraria,” the administration’s “Bhagwakaran” is a fact.
According to PDP leader Firdous Tak, we are compelled to remain silent.