J&K Waqf Board bans collecting donations by trustees at shrines

A traditional system of collecting donation, this has been in practice in Jammu and Kashmir for centuries. The Board said collection of donations by trustees stood banned from Thursday — in fact, the process of removing donation boxes of these trustees began on Thursday afternoon.

The J&K Waqf Board looks after nearly 32,000 properties, including shrines, mosques and educational institutions, across the UT. A semi-government organisation, it is led by its chairperson, who is a government appointee — the current chairperson is Darakshan Andrabi, a BJP leader.

The order stated: “The J&K Waqf Board is in receipt of a large number of complaints against some people receiving donations forcibly and through exploitative means at Ziayarats (shrines). Despite coming from reasonably sound economic background, such people are permanently occupying particular spots within the shrines for their activities, and there are instances when such spots are being outsources or contracted out against receipt of large sums of money that violates the sanctity of ziyarats.” It stated, “Such unethical practices damage the sanctity of sacred places, and are detrimental to the already strained finances of J&K Waqf Board.”

Such acts of “pilferage is severely limiting” the Board’s ability to perform charity and carry out activities to uplift the poor and the disadvantaged, it said.

Stating that “such people have been repeatedly warned to desist from these activities”, and that visitors have sought “stern action against such elements”, the order said, “Now a complete ban is hereby ordered on all such unethical practices across shrines of J&K UT with immediate effect.”

Calling it “unexpected”, many shrine trustees said the UT administration has disturbed a centuries-old tradition.

“Our forefathers have been running these shrines, as Imams, trustees and caretakers without any salary, for more than four centuries now,” said Shahid Jeelani Makhdoomi, whose family ran a shrine in the old city. “Madam (Waqf Board chairperson Darakshan Andrabi) had assured that they would not touch us, but the order came only the next day. If there was any mistake anywhere, they should have allowed us to rectify it. We would have done that happily.”