[SDG]

Kashmir protests over holy hair

Thursday, 14 March, 2002, 18:52 GMT


Guarding the Hazratbal shrine


There has been a second day of protests in Indian-administered Kashmir after a Hindu member of parliament was reported as saying a holy Muslim relic belonged to Hindus. Police in the city of Srinagar used tear gas to disperse Muslim protesters - a number of people were reported to have suffered minor injuries.

The protests centre around a hair that Muslims believe comes from the beard of the Prophet Mohammad which is housed Srinagar's Hazratbal shrine.

An MP from the Bharatiya Janata Party, the main party in India's governing coalition, was quoted in the Asian Age newspaper as saying the hair actually belongs to a Hindu priest.


The hair "must be returned" to Hindus, he said, according to the paper.

Prosecution threat
Reuters news agency now reports that staff in the office of the MP, Vinay Katiyar, deny he ever made the comments.




Local lawyers say they will try to prosecute Mr Katiyar, according to the AFP news agency.

"If the magistrate permits we will file a case in the court soon," Imdad Saqi said.

Kashmir's Chief Minister, Farooq Abdullah, has called for the police to take action against Mr Katiyar, AFP says.
"I would say such persons should be arrested as they pose a threat to the nation's unity."

A Kashmir students' group has called for a one-day strike on Friday in further protest at Mr Katiyar's alleged remarks.

Muslims believe the hair was brought to Kashmir by a local trader in the 17th century.

Bombs and clashes

Elsewhere in the state, police say two children were killed in a bomb explosion after people gathered at a disused house where militants had been involved in a gun battle with the security forces.

Another 25 people - most of them children - were wounded in the blast in the southern district of Pulwama.

Seven of the injured were taken to Srinagar for medical treatment.

The authorities say 13 people have been killed in clashes across the state, including five militants and one policeman.