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Srinagar: Member of Indian parliament Agha Ruhullah Mehdi and eminent Kashmiri religious scholar Agha Syed Mohammad Hadi have condemned the removal of a signboard in Srinagar\u2019s Lal Chowk that urged tourists to respect local culture, refrain from alcohol and drug use and keep the city clean.<\/p>\n
According to Kashmir Media Service, the signboard, installed by the Traders Association at Lal Chowk in Srinagar, welcomed visitors and advised them to \u201clove and cherish their families\u201d while respecting local traditions. It specifically asked tourists to avoid consuming liquor, using drugs, spitting on roads, and smoking in public spaces.<\/p>\n
Agha Ruhullah Mehdi, criticizing the action, wrote on X, \u201cEven appealing to tourists to respect local sensitivities is now illegal in Kashmir. Police clarify which law was violated by the signboard? Or is the only law in place the one that silences Kashmiris?\u201d, he added.<\/p>\n
He further said the administration is suppressing Kashmiri identity. \u201cThe colonial LG administration, in cahoots with the Indian forces, has turned Kashmir into an Orwellian nightmare\u2014where people can\u2019t protest, safeguard their identity, or even speak for their culture,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n
Mehdi warned that such suppression would only fuel resistance. \u201cSuppression breeds resentment. The more you push Kashmiris to the wall, the stronger their will to break it down. Kashmiris, like any other society in this country, have the right to preserve and protect their culture and faith.\u201d<\/p>\n
Calling for a change in approach, he urged the police to act with responsibility. \u201cPolice are advised not to work like a colonial power but work and behave as local police guided by law and respectful to the community and its sensitivities,\u201d he maintained.<\/p>\n
The removal of the signboard has sparked debate, with some arguing that community-driven initiatives promoting ethical conduct should not require official approval, while others believe such messages must align with government regulations.<\/p>\n
It is to be mentioned that police, acting on the orders of the New Delhi-appointed Lieutenant Governor in Srinagar, swiftly seized signboards and standees urging tourists to avoid alcohol and drug consumption in the city\u2019s commercial hub of Lal Chowk.<\/p>\n
Agha Syed Mohammad Hadi in a post on X criticized the administration\u2019s move, asking, \u201cWhy couldn\u2019t they leave it up for even an hour? Are they not part of the campaign for a drug-free Kashmir?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Srinagar: Member of Indian parliament Agha Ruhullah Mehdi and eminent Kashmiri religious scholar Agha Syed Mohammad Hadi have condemned the removal of a signboard in Srinagar\u2019s Lal Chowk that urged tourists to respect local culture, refrain from alcohol and drug use and keep the city clean. According to Kashmir Media Service, the signboard, installed by …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":169645,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-169644","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/assests\/2025\/02\/Ruhullah-Mehdi.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169644","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=169644"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169644\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":169655,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169644\/revisions\/169655"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/169645"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=169644"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=169644"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=169644"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}