Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Saturday sought Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s intervention to stop a spiritual and meditation event facilitated by self-styled godman Swami Dhyan Sumit in the Union Territory.
The poster of the event scheduled in Gurez — on the Line of Control (LoC) in Bandipore district — from September 24 to September 27 calls it a sacred Himalayan experience: ‘Tantra in Silence — a journey within a meditation retreat’. It says the event would be facilitated by Swami Dhyan Sumit “inspired by the teachings of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh”.
Expressing concern over reports on the “Tantra in Silence” programme scheduled in Gurez Valley from September 24 to 27, the Mirwaiz called upon the authorities concerned to stop exploitation of Kashmir’s religious, cultural and social ethos.
“The concerned authorities @CM_JnK, @omarabdullah should immediately take note and stop this exploitation!” he said in a post on X.
The Mirwaiz said the concern raised by Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti deserves immediate attention.
“That this kind of programme is being allowed in Gurez in Kashmir, when a similar programme by this organisation was cancelled by police in Goa, due to public outrage over its obscene promotional details, is outrageous!” he said.
Raising the issue, former chief minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mufti said a similar event by the organisers was cancelled in Goa last year after public outcry.
A poster is advertising a “Tantra Silence” retreat in Gurez Valley, Srinagar.
A similar “Tantra” retreat facilitated by Swami Dhyan Sumit, a self-styled godman promoting a new religion under the Shree Rajneesh Foundation, was cancelled in Goa last year after its obscene… pic.twitter.com/1cdGZlF5oo— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) September 19, 2026
“A poster is advertising a ‘Tantra Silence’ retreat in Gurez Valley, Srinagar. A similar ‘Tantra’ retreat facilitated by Swami Dhyan Sumit, a self-styled godman promoting a new religion under the Shree Rajneesh Foundation, was cancelled in Goa last year after its obscene promotional material sparked widespread controversy, and [the] Goa Police had to intervene,” Mufti said in a post on X while seeking intervention from Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and the Jammu and Kashmir Police. “Gurez is no playground for experiments in the name of spirituality or tourism. I request @CM_JnK and @JmuKmrpolice to intervene immediately and take appropriate action”.
Valley’s official grand mufti Nasir-ul-Islam has also urged Chief Minister Abdullah to “act immediately” to establish the facts. “The House of Grand Mufti Jammu & Kashmir has taken serious note of the proposed ‘Tantra in Silence’ retreat reportedly scheduled for 24-27 September 2026 in Gurez Valley. The programme is publicly advertised as a meditation retreat, and concerns regarding its organisers, content and suitability for the region have been raised publicly,” Islam said. “Gurez is not merely a tourist destination. It is part of the sacred cultural landscape of Kashmir, a land shaped by generations of faith, scholarship and spiritual tradition. Its hospitality must never be understood as indifference to its moral cultural character”.
