Srinagar: Amid the series of arrests of top religious preachers, a delegation of Islamic scholars called on Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday and sought their release.
“We met the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and raised the issue of arrest of several religious clerics including Moulana Abdul Rashid Dawoodi”, Moulana Ghulam Rasool Hami, told media persons after the meeting in Srinagar Monday.
He said the Lieutenant Governor patiently listened and gave a good response and assured that all things would be taken into consideration and would be known to you soon.
He said the arrests of several religious clerics has caused anxiety among the people.
“We have demanded the release of all these religious preachers without any delay and hope that they will be released soon,” he said.
He said all the clerics and religious preachers who are associated with us are all non-political and we have always given first priority to peace and prosperity.
When asked that authorities are blaming religious clerics that they are instigating youth for violence a Muttahida Ulema Ahle Sunnat member said “the Lieutenant Governor also told us the same… but we have assured him that Muttahida Ulema Ahle Sunnat…are the followers of Sofi Sant teachings and Allah has mentioned in the holy Quran that every human being of this universe is well respectable”,
He said the Lieutenant Governor was satisfied with our conversation and hopefully everything would be alright, he added.
Pertinently Jammu and Kashmir police on Thursday had arrested three influential clerics Abdul Rashid Dawoodi, most known Barelvi scholar in Kashmir and Moushtaq Ahmad Veeri and Abdul Rashid Dar , both prominent Salafi leaders, in Kashmir and booked them under Public Safety Act (PSA)- that allows detention without trial up to two years.
