by Muslim Mirror Staff

Jammu administration has renamed a student dormitory after a Hindu goddess and removed the name of a local Muslim saint on May 3, The Hindu reported.

The District Development Commissioner of Doda, Vishesh Paul Mahajan, has issued a communique to rename the dormitory located in Jammu and Kashmir’s winter capital Jammu.

The new name proposed for the dormitory is “Asikni House,” after a Hindu goddess who is a consort of Daksha in the Puranic pantheon. The foundation stone for Asikni House is scheduled to be laid by May 10.

The dormitory was previously named after local saint Shah Asrar Ud-Din, also known as Asraria, whose shrine is revered by both Hindus and Muslims in the region of Chenab Valley’s Kishtwar.

The move was criticised by the Peoples Democratic Party.

“When the Deputy Commissioner has a problem with ‘Asraria’, ‘Bhagwakaran’ of the administration is a reality. We are forced into silence,” PDP leader Firdous Tak said.