Latest news with #Pandits
Time of India
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Protests Over Jihad In New MA Pol Sc Syllabus
New Delhi: References to jihad, terrorism, self-determination in Kashmir and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in Delhi University's revised MA political science syllabus have drawn objections from members of the university's Standing Committee on Courses. The syllabus, for implemented from the 2025-26 academic year, has already been approved by DU's Academic Council and Executive Council but awaits a final nod from the standing committee, where it was recently reviewed and sent back for revision after several faculty members voiced objections. At the centre of the objections is the elective paper, DSE 17: Politics and Ethnic Conflicts in J&K, which aims to examine "historical, constitutional and political aspects of J&K, internal and external dimensions, separatism, insurgency, migration of Pandits from the Valley, human rights and Armed Forces Special Act-related issues". The course also includes topics such as "debates on state autonomy, factors of terrorism, and secessionist politics". The syllabus features readings on India's national identity, Hindu nationalism and the politics of anxiety. Some members of the standing committee objected to the topics proposed to be taught in the paper. Another paper, DSE 51: Religious Nationalism and Political Violence, which examines the mobilisation of religious identity in political conflicts, also came under the scanner. According to its stated objective, the course seeks to understand "how religion becomes a political resource for mobilisation and contestation in different contexts, especially in multi-religious societies". It adds that "the course also interrogates the complex relationship between religion, modernity, nationalism and violence". You Can Also Check: Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi There are references to RSS in DSE 14: Identities and Political Transformation in India, which includes the organisation as part of a reading by famous French scholar Christophe Jaffrelot, a known critic of Hindu nationalism and the Narendra Modi govt. Also flagged was DSE 63: Discourses on Hindu Nationalism, which proposes to study "the core issues of Hindu nationalism which is the most contested subject of debate in the Indian politics". The syllabus engages with key thinkers and includes readings like "Essentials of Hindutva" by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. On the international front, DSE 28: Pakistan and the World includes discussions on 'Pakistan's ideological foundations and nationalism; Islam and the military; The Kashmir problem – genesis, wars, proxy war and peace process; Islamic radicalism, trans-border terrorism and Jihad', and Pakistan's evolving foreign policy, particularly in relation to India, Afghanistan and China. The inclusion of such framing in a university-level elective has also drawn pointed queries from a section of the committee. "These papers are not academic in nature. They are ideologically driven and meant to push a particular narrative. The inclusion of such content under the garb of curriculum reform is unacceptable," declared professor Harendra Nath Tiwari, a member of the standing committee. The panel has asked the political science department to revise the syllabus by removing the controversial papers and objectives. A fresh draft is expected to be presented when the standing committee reconvenes on July 1. The DU administration had earlier said the syllabus had to be reworked keeping India as the focal point of teaching. These objections come amid a wider pattern of contestation around syllabus revisions at DU. In recent months, changes to both undergraduate and postgraduate curricula — particularly under the New Education Policy framework — have faced criticism from sections of the academic community. In May, a controversy erupted over the removal of proposed papers on the Israel and Palestine conflict, issues in Kashmir and one on dating app-related suicides from the undergraduate syllabus of the psychology department.
DW
04-06-2025
- General
- DW
Kashmir: Fears dampen celebrations at Hindu festival – DW – 06/04/2025
Khalid Khan in Srinagar 06/04/2025 June 4, 2025 Hundreds of Kashmiri Hindus, commonly referred to as Pandits, participated in the annual Kheer Bhawani Mela festival — the first major religious event since the Pahalgam attack, which saw 26 Indian tourists killed.
Hindustan Times
04-06-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Leaders hail Kheer Bhawani mela gathering, seek Pandits' return to Valley
A large number of Hindu devotees, mostly Kashmiri Pandits, converged at Tulmulla to take part in prayers and celebrations during the annual fair at the Mata Kheer Bhawani temple in central Kashmir's Ganderbal on Tuesday. Owing to the fear perception after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, the footfall of people was less than the past few years. Leaders from different parties hailed the gathering and also called for return of Pandits to the Valley. Lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha, who participated in the prayers, said this was the biggest gathering in Kashmir at any place since the Pahalgam attack on April 22. As many as 26 people, including 25 tourists, were killed in a terror attack in Pahalgam in south Kashmir in April, triggering the flight of thousands of tourists out of the Valley. Sinha said the preparations for the upcoming Amarnath Yatra were also complete. 'Amarnath yatra preparations have been completed from security perspectives as well. I request the devotees to come (in good numbers),' he said. Surrounded by Chinar trees, the Kheer Bhawani temple houses Hindu Goddess Ragnya Devi at Tulmulla village, about 27 km from Srinagar, and welcomes the biggest Hindu festival to be celebrated in the Kashmir Valley second only to the Amarnath yatra. A devotee from Srinagar, Ayush said the mela was affected owing to the threat perception after the Pahalgam attack. 'This time the number of participants are one-third of what used to come,' he said. Last year, the officials had said that 30,000 pilgrims visited while in 2023, 33,000 pilgrims had participated in the mela. The atmosphere was also reflective of the communal harmony owing to the presence of a number of local Muslims in and outside the Hindu shrine. Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah visited the shrine. 'We will continue to live in this brotherhood. We met our brothers and sisters and spread a message of happiness,' Farooq Abdullah said. 'Pandits' presence at the Mela Kheer Bhawani in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack is a befitting reply to perpetrators,' Farooq said. Mehbooba Mufti advocated for the return of Kashmir Pandits, urging for the start of political process with Pandits playing their role. 'J&K is incomplete without them,' she said. BJP general secretary Ashok Kaul said, 'It felt good seeing many people here. After the Pahalgam attack, there was a pause and people coming here filled that gap,' he said. J&K Congress chief Tariq Karra also visited the shrine and said that the people coming for the mela was a perfect answer to Pahalgam attackers. Karra said return of Kashmiri Pandits can't happen by just cosmetic measures. 'We need to politically empower them. We want their seats to be reserved for contesting the assembly elections,' he said. Local Kashmiri Muslims took care of the Kheer Bhawani shrine after the exodus of a majority of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley during the first wave of militancy in early 1990s. The temple has attracted more devotees since 2008, as the militancy waned.
Time of India
03-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
J&K: Kashmiri Pandits troop to Valley temple fair, revive return hopes
SRINAGAR: Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti and J&K LG Manoj Sinha joined hundreds of Kashmiri Pandits Tuesday at Mela Kheer Bhawani, an annual fair at an eponymous shrine in Ganderbal's Tulmulla, marking the largest gathering since the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and raising hopes of the displaced community's return to the Valley. LG Sinha interacted with people and extended warm greetings on the occasion. The shrine is known as Kheer Bhawani as devotees offer milk and kheer (milk pudding) to a sacred spring there which, the legend has it, changes colour. Pandits from across the country travel to the temple fair, around 35km from Srinagar, each year. 'Devotees in large numbers is a good sign. I think after the heinous (Pahalgam) terror attack on April 22, it is the first time that people in such large numbers have assembled at one place in Kashmir. May Mata Kheer Bhawani keep showering her blessings on J&K people,' Sinha said, vowing to make the pilgrimage safe and hassle-free. Sinha also announced that preparations were in full swing for the annual Amarnath Yatra this year from July 3 to Aug 9. 'We have made all arrangements for the security of yatris. I request pilgrims from across the country to come for the yatra,' Sinha said. PDP president Mehbooba cited the large Pandit throngs at Kheer Bhawani temple to reiterate her belief that guns were not the solution to Kashmir's issues. 'Kashmir issue cannot be resolved through military force or militants' guns. Political solution is the only way forward. There should be a political process. That process cannot be completed until our Kashmiri Pandit brothers and sisters return with due respect and settle in the Valley,' Mehbooba said. Farooq, president of J&K's governing National Conference (NC), echoed the views as he was greeted warmly at the fair. He stressed the 'urgent' need for return and resettlement of Pandits in the Valley, calling for land as well as proper housing facilities. He recalled that NC had during its past stints in office attempted such rehabilitation and expressed hope the situation would improve enough for Pandits to live in Kashmir as they once did. Kheer Bhawani temple was built by then monarch Pratap Singh in 1912. The spring there has held religious sanctity for Pandits over centuries, with many claiming its origin to Lord Rama's times.
The Hindu
03-06-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Farooq, Mehbooba, Karra join Pandit devotees at the Mata Kheer Bhawani temple in Kashmir
Prominent Jammu and Kashmir leaders, including Farooq Abdullah of the National Conference (NC), Mehbooba Mufti of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Tariq Hameed Karra of the Congress, on Tuesday joined hundreds of Kashmiri Pandits in paying obeisance at the Mata Kheer Bhawani temple on the occasion of Jyeshta Ashtami, amid the sense of unease and fear that was spread by the recent Pahalgam terror attack. Dr. Abdullah, accompanied by his senior party colleagues, drove to Ganderbal district in central Kashmir in the morning, and joined devotees at the temple. 'We took the blessings of Mata Kheer Bhawani. We are living in harmony; we will be living in harmony. We sent a message of happiness,' the NC president said. Mingling with the Pandit devotees, mainly those who fled the Kashmir Valley in the face of militancy in the 1990s, Dr. Abdullah prayed that the Kheer Bhawani Mela (fair) turn out to be a 'starting point for displaced brothers and sisters to return and settle down in Kashmir again'. 'Land and houses should be provided to Kashmiri Pandits. The government and the Centre should do the needful for their peaceful return. The situation is not the same as when former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ensured employment for thousands of Kashmiri Pandits by offering them government jobs in Kashmir for their peaceful return,' Dr. Abdullah said. Claiming that there was a sense of fear among devotees visiting the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu after the recent India-Pakistan military confrontation, Dr. Abdullah appealed to people to visit the shrine. 'Don't fear. Visit the shrine,' he said. Ms. Mufti too joined the Pandit devotees in the visit to the shrine, and extended her wishes to the community on the occasion. She also paid floral tributes at the Kheer Bhawani temple pond, which is considered an auspicious ritual by the Pandit community. 'The PDP has always believed that guns or military interventions are not the solution. There should be a political process, that process cannot be completed until our Kashmiri Pandit brothers and sisters return with due respect and settle here,' the former J&K CM said. She said Kashmiri Pandits were an essential part of Kashmir. 'Pandits should return to Kashmir with dignity. They are an integral part of Kashmir. They have stakes in Kashmir,' Ms. Mufti said. Mr. Karra said the mela was 'a reflection of communal harmony, despite attempts to divide'. 'All communities stand united here. It is a reflection of the fact that Mahatma Gandhi also saw a ray of hope in Kashmir at the time of the Partition. Our [late] Prime Minister Manmohan Singh created a package that can still help in resolving the issues of Pandits, and ensuring their dignified return,' Mr. Karra said. The Kheer Bhawani Mela is the first major Hindu festival to take place in the Valley after the Pahalgam terror attack of April 22, which left 26 civilians dead. The incident has cast its shadow on the fair, evident in the thin attendance when compared with 2024. J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, however, termed the gathering a good omen. 'Devotees have come in large numbers to attend the Kheer Bhawani Mela. This is a good sign. This is the first time after April 22 that such a crowd has gathered at a place,' Mr. Sinha said. He said all the preparations for the upcoming Amarnath Yatra, which beings on July 3, were complete. 'Security arrangements have also been finalised. I appeal to devotees from across the country to come and take Baba's (Lord Shiva's) blessings,' Mr. Sinha added. Meanwhile, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, in a statement said an interfaith dialogue 'must evolve into a moral movement rooted in justice — because peace without justice is just a pause, no more'. 'I urged faith leaders to rise above nationalism, protect diversity, and uphold the moral duty of the majorities towards the minorities. From Palestine to Kashmir, only justice, dialogue, and mutual respect can bring lasting peace, and end human suffering,' he said.
