Srinagar, August 23: Kashmiri pandits today dismissed as ‘baseless’ claims made by Jammu and Kashmir government that it had renovated 90 of the 174 temples damaged during militancy in the state.
“The government’s claim is baseless as no temple has been renovated. Let the government identify the temples which has been renovated or name the organisation that has received the ex-gratia relief purported to have been given by it,” chairman of All Parties Migrants Coordination Committee, Vinod Pandita, said today.
The government had told the state assembly yesterday that out of 174 temples damaged during militancy, 90 have been given ex-gratia relief and stand renovated.
Pandita also demanded a CBI probe into the encroachment of temples and their properties. “There were about 500 temples in the valley before eruption of militancy. Of them 77 per cent have been occupied by politicians, bureaucrats and land mafia,” he alleged.
–PTI