STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: A delegation under the leadership of Secretary Sarvdeshik Arya Pratinidhi Sabha India and Arun Chowdhary President Arya Pratinidhi Sabha Jammu Kashmir with other delegates on Friday met Lt Governor, Manoj Sinha to deliberate and discuss issues safeguarding properties of Arya Samaj in Jammu and Kashmir and presented a memorandum.
They drew attention of LG towards the burning down of Arya Samaj Temple one week ago in Motryar locality, Rainawari Srinagar by miscreant land-grabbers.
They informed LG that the aforesaid temple was set on fire on 13th December 2020.
“This temple property was donated by a devotee namely Radha Krishan in 1968 and usual Havan activities were being performed there till year 1990, after which the Hindu community had to migrate due to unrest in the Valley,” they said. They said that some influential politician has usurped the temple and the local authorities deny existence of any such temple property perhaps due to bungling of revenue records in connivance with the aforesaid politician.
They mentioned that usurping of temple properties and encroachments is a common practice since the last 30 years and all their pleas are falling on deaf ears. “Lands and properties of temples worth millions of rupees have been encroached by land grabbers and even by the government agencies,” they said and requested the LG to institute a high-level enquiry in the matter. Further, they said an FIR has been lodged by the police authorities of Kashmir against Rakesh Raina, who tweeted the factual description regarding burning of the Arya Samaj temple, Motiyar, Rainawari. Sabha strongly condemned this unwarranted action against Raina and request the LG to scrap this FIR lodged again Rakesh. They also requested the LG to constitute a commission of enquiry for all Hindu temples including Arya Samaj temples in Kashmir so that the revenue records are verified and encroachments are removed.