A self-styled ‘godman’ forced locals to flee their homes in Khonmoh

Bilal Handoo

SRINAGAR

Locals from Khonmoh staging protest in Srinagar. Photo: Bilal Bahadur

After Gulzar peer, another self styled ‘godman’ of the valley is known for all the bad reasons. In Srinagar’s Khonmoh area, a godman has been preventing the locals from lighting up their hearths from last eight days, citing ‘some absurd spiritual reasons’.

After suffering in silence for over a week now, the locals Thursday staged a ‘raucous’ protest in Srinagar demanding swift action against what they called “scandalous godman”, namely Fayaz Peer.

“This man has been a big nuisance for us for last one year now,” shouted Mala (name changed), a mother of three. “He forced our kids to the verge of starvation.”

The protestors claimed that Fayaz Peer is in possession of djinns—which is using to create fear psychosis in local population.

“He sprinkles Kerosene on himself and then alleges that villagers are spreading smoke in the area which harms his spiritual activities,” said Yaqoob (name changed), a youth from the area. “On this pretext, he is preventing us from lighting our hearths. We brought the matter in the notice of Dyp SP Davinder Singh, but he threatened to us put behind the bars for eight years. We don’t know what to do. There seems no way out for us.”

To save themselves from starving, the locals claimed to have abandoned their houses and are now living on rent in nearby village.

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