The Jammu Kashmir administration has renamed a student dormitory after a Hindu goddess and removed the name of a local Muslim saint.
As per a news report by The Hindu, the District Development Commissioner of Doda, Vishesh Paul Mahajan, has issued a communique to rename the dormitory located in Jammu Kashmir’s winter capital Jammu.
The new name proposed for the dormitory is “Asikni House,” who is a consort of Daksha in the Puranic pantheon. The foundation stone for Asikni House is scheduled to be laid by May 10.
The dormitory was previously named after local saint Shah Asrar u Din, also known as Asraria, whose Khanqah is revered by both Hindus and Muslims in the region of Chenab valley’s Kishtwar.
Peoples Democratic Party has criticised the admin’s move.
“When the Deputy Commissioner has a problem with ‘Asraria’, ‘Bhagwakaran’ of the administration is a reality. We are forced into silence,” PDP leader Firdous Tak said.