New Delhi: A political row has broken out in Jammu and Kashmir after the Union territory (UT) administration led by lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha failed to reschedule the public holiday on Eid-e-Milad, one of the most sacred Islamic festivals which is being celebrated on Saturday, September 5.

Moderate Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said that for the second year in a row, despite changes in the Islamic calendar, the UT administration failed to change the date of a popular holiday observed by Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir with a lot of fanfare.

The decision follows the absence of the ruling National Conference (NC) leaders from the reopening ceremony of the sacred shrine in Srinagar’s Hazratbal locality, once a power centre of the Abdullah family, which has been redesigned by the Wakf Board and was inaugurated by its chairman and senior J&K BJP leader Darakshan Andrabi on September 3.

NC vice president and J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah alleged that the “deliberate decision” by the UT administration to not shift the Eid-e-Milad holiday from Friday to Saturday was “inconsiderate & designed to hurt the sentiments” of Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir.

However, while the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), moderate Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and the Grand Mufti of Jammu and Kashmir Nasir-ul-Islam also condemned the UT administration for “disregarding" the sentiments of people, they accused the chief minister of being “complicit” in the decision.

Eid-i-Milad which marks the birthday of Prophet Mohammad, Islam’s most revered prophet, is celebrated on 12 Rabial Awwal, the third month of the Islamic calendar. In the list of public holidays issued by J&K’s general administration department (GAD) on December 29, 2024, September 5 was marked as the Eid-e-Milad holiday.

However, the list states that all the Muslim holidays are “subject to appearance of moon”.

In a statement on Friday, the grand mufti of J&K, while urging the government to respect the “sanctity of religious occasions (of Muslims)”, said that the Eid-e-Milad was going to be observed on Saturday as per moon sighting.

”It is most unfortunate that… the government failed to synchronise the notification accordingly. This total mismatch reflects a negative approach towards a revered day which holds spiritual and religious significance,” he said.

The GAD, which prepares the list of holidays, is under the chief minister’s office but nearly all the departments in Jammu and Kashmir are headed by Indian Administrative Service officers who report directly to the lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha.

Terming the administration’s refusal to change the date of the holiday as “totally unjust”, senior National Conference leader Sakina Itoo, who is also J&K’s education minister, wrote in a post on X:

“What does ‘subject to appearance of the moon’ mean if it is not followed? Despite repeated requests from the elected Govt to shift the holiday, no action has been taken. This is playing with the emotions of the people. Such decisions should be at the helm of the elected government.”

Reacting to the uproar in Jammu and Kashmir, Mirwaiz condemned the “utter disregard of authorities” on the sacred occasion towards the “sentiments of the Muslim community”.

“This deliberate negligence is unacceptable to the Muslims of J&K who strongly protest it. Equally regrettable is the silence of the elected govt, who fail to take a stand on any issue of the people of J&K. I will also talk about it in my juma sermon at Jama Masjid today,” he said on X.

Targeting the National Conference government, led by Abdullah, the PDP leader Iltija Mufti said that the decision to not reschedule the sacred holiday was “unfortunate”.

“Month after month we witness how the NC Government even with a brute majority legitimises & normalises such atrocious decisions. India’s only Muslim majority state doesn’t even have the freedom to declare our cherished religious occasions,” she said.

After a massive uproar, chief minister Abdullah said on X, “The calendar printed by the Government press is very clear - “Subject to the appearance of the moon”. It means that the holiday is subject to change depending upon the moon being sighted. The deliberate decision by the unelected government to not shift the holiday is inconsiderate & designed to hurt the sentiments of the people.”

On September 3, the Wakf chairman Andrabi inaugurated the ‘Mega Construction and Beautification Project’ of the Hazratbal shrine in the presence of Waqf Board members Ghulam Nabi Haleem and Syed Mohammed Hussain Haqqani and some religious scholars.

However, the ruling party leaders were conspicuous by their absence from the event.

Last week, a controversy broke out after Abdullah was reportedly denied access into the main sanctum of the Hazratbal shrine in the presence of Andrabi. However, the ruling party had later denied the report.

The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.