Moi-e-Muqadas Theft in Kashmir in 1963

In December 1963, an incident took place in Jammu and Kashmir that jolted the whole subcontinent. The Holy Relic of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was stolen by some miscreants. Alastair Lamb in his book “Kashmir: A Disputed Legacy (1846-1990)” says that the Holy Relic was sent to Kashmir by Aurangzeb. It used to be in a small tube of quartz (or glass). It was exhibited 10 times in a year. The Holy Relic or Moi-e-Muqadas was locked away in a wooden cupboard. It was stolen on 27 December 1963. The theft of the holy relic shattered the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The news spread like a wildfire. People came out from their homes on the streets to register their protests. A group of people marched towards the historic Lalchowk. People were weeping and wailing over this incident. When this crowd reached Lalchowk, Bakshi Abdul Rashid, the relative of Bakshi Ghulam Muhammad, was sitting in the office of the Labour Union. He appeared on the scene. He wanted to address the people on the bonnet of his jeep. Before his address would have started, he was welcomed with the anger of the crowd and Kangries (the firepots that Kashmiris use in winter to keep themselves warm). One Kangri hit his chest. They also set his jeep on fire. He had to run for his life. Moreover, their (Bakshis) two cinemas, Amresh and Regal were set on fire. It is also said that people tried to set KothiBagh Police Station on fire. After this incident, he never dared to face the public. This agitation witnessed the unity of the different factions of the Muslims. They rose above petty issues. From the remotest areas of Jammu and Kashmir, people began to walk on foot. Community Kitchens were set up on the roadsides. The prices of the essential commodities came down suddenly. For 5 or 6 days, this agitation continued. After that, it is said that some common people wore shrouds while protesting for the restoration of the Holy Relic. On January 3, 1964, the Holy Relic was found. As said earlier, the Bakshis wanted to take revenge. Shabnam Qayoom in his book “Comprehensive History of Jammu and Kashmir and its Freedom Struggle” says that Bakshi Abdul Rashid was the engineer of this theft. The Holy Relic was found when handcuffed Bakshi Rashid led the investigating team to a houseboat at Miskeen Bagh, it was found in the third room of the houseboat. Announcements were made that the Holy Relic was found. Bakshi Abdul Rashid during his interrogation told that he had stolen the Relic on the directions of Pandit Nehru. This was the revenge and anger that was waiting for the vent. It made the situation tense. Nehru became violent but Rashid had found a weapon. He used this weapon to defame Nehru at every stage. Complete article here: https://www.asnaav.com/the-rise-of-ka...