Govt’s Backing of Hindu Cultural Practices Faces Backlash in Kashmir

On Fridays in Srinagar, the absence is as telling as the crowd once was. At Jamia Masjid Srinagar, a historic centre of worship and politics, locked gates and quiet courtyards now stand in contrast to a government push for public expression of Hindu religion and culture elsewhere, sharpening questions about faith, power, and belonging in Kashmir.

Forty-five-year-old Fayaz Ahmad has an emotional bond with Kashmir’s historic mosque, Jamia Masjid, having prayed here since his childhood, when he would come to assist his father at his grocery shop. Over time, the shop inside the mosque's precincts has changed its merchandise and now sells women’s clothes. The mosque remained shut on the last Friday of Ramadan and even on other Muslim festivals previously.

“I don’t know why we are being barred from performing our religious duties,” says Fayaz, who whipped out a mobile phone from his pocket to show photographs of the padlocked gate of the mosque and Israeli forces with guns outside the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

Noorudin Dar, 45, an auto driver and a local resident, says that the mosque’s closure was part of the policies of the government to “punish Muslims.” “BJP knows that Muslims don’t vote for them, and their politics is all about the promotion of Hindu practices, and that is what is happening in Jammu and Kashmir too,” he says.  “Last time, the Jamia Masjid was closed on the night of Shab-e-Qadr, and we had to perform the prayers in our homes,” adds Noorudin.

Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir find themselves at the receiving end of the new policies that are being advocated after the revocation of Article 370. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has urged people to follow Hindu cultural practices. 

Calling on people to organise aartis in towns and villages along the riverbanks in Jammu Division, LG Manoj Sinha, while attending the Jammu Aarti organised by Shri Raghunath Ji Ki Jammu Aarti, said that this will awaken society towards “our profound rich culture and connect the young generation with timeless verses of our holy scriptures.”

In the UT, the LG has the power to declare holidays instead of the elected Chief Minister. In 2024, the LG administration came under heavy criticism for not declaring Eid holiday on the actual day when the festival was observed by people.

After last year’s controversy on the occasion of Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi, Omar Abdullah said in a post on X, “The calendar printed by the government press is very clear, ‘Subject to the appearance of the moon’. It means that the holiday is subject to change depending upon the moon being sighted. The deliberate decision by the unelected government not to shift the holiday is inconsiderate and designed to hurt the sentiments of the people.”

While writing this post, Omar was looking to give vent to the concerns of Muslim employees, as the NC vice president had come to power after the elections in 2024, riding on the anger against the BJP government, which deprived the Muslim-majority state of its special status that allowed it to have its own constitution and a flag. 

Jammu and Kashmir was downgraded to a UT, and Ladakh was separated from it as a separate UT on August 5, 2019.

Legal expert Advocate H. C. Jalmeria says that the Constitution guarantees people the right to practice and propagate religion. “Religion is a private affair, and if a person is in public life, he or she can’t make a decision on the basis of religion. The Constitution provides for people to express their religious beliefs, but in a secular society, the state is areligious; it doesn’t follow one particular religion, and all people are equal.”

However, in what is seen as not being in sync with the cultural values of Muslims, the Jammu and Kashmir government has directed school teachers to observe Yoga Days, noting that Suryanamaskar asanas (salute to the sun) are beneficial in developing the personality of an individual. 

In June 2024, the Directorate of School Education Jammu (DSEJ) issued a circular impressing upon teachers to conduct yoga events, highlighting that the Suryanamaskar asanas (salute to the sun) are “beneficial for the holistic development of an individual.”

“Yoga is a great gift Bharat has given to the world and is a part of our cultural and spiritual heritage from ancient times. Patanjali is known as the father of yoga and is credited with writing the Yoga Sutras, one of the foundational texts of yoga. Yoga is a holistic practice integrating physical postures (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayama), meditation, and ethical principles. It aims to unify the mind, body, and spirit, promoting overall well-being and inner peace,” the DSEJ circular read while urging teachers to celebrate the 10th International Day of Yoga on June 21, 2024, with the theme "Yoga for Self and Society".

Ali Mohammad Sheikh, 50, a pickle vendor who operates near Jamia Masjid, says that while the government was pushing policies to promote Hindu cultural practices, it has kept the Jamia Masjid closed on important Muslim festivals, even when the situation was peaceful in Kashmir. 

“The BJP government espouses policies to promote Hindutva. The situation in Kashmir is no better than in other parts of the country.”

Riyaz Ahmad Bhat, 36, who sells skull caps and perfumes at a shop in the compound of Jamia Masjid, says that the identity of the people of Kashmir is linked with the grand mosque. “It is not only a religious site but a symbol of our cultural identity as well. The closure has affected our business as well. People come from far-off places in Kashmir but return disappointed after finding the mosque closed,” he says.