States » NorthPosted at: Sep 19 2026 7:08PM


'Tantra retreat' in Gurez courts controversy in Kashmir

Srinagar, Sep 19 (UNI) A controversy erupted on Saturday over a proposed “Tantra in Silence” retreat proposed to be held close to the Line of Control (LoC) in Gurez Valley of Bandipora district, with former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and Kashmir’s chief cleric urging the authorities to halt the event.
A purported poster circulating on social media advertises a four-day “Tantra in Silence – A Journey Within” meditation retreat in Gurez Valley from September 24 to 27.
The poster lists Swami Dhyan Sumit as the facilitator. The poster lists activities including sound healing, meditation, love and awareness, conscious living and inner transformation, and states that wearing white and maroon robes is compulsory.
In a post on X, Mehbooba referred to promotional material for the retreat and alleged that a similar “Tantra” programme facilitated by Swami Dhyan Sumit, whom she described as a self-styled godman associated with the Shree Rajneesh Foundation, had been cancelled in Goa last year following controversy over its promotional material.
“Gurez is no playground for experiments in the name of spirituality or tourism,” Mehbooba said, while urging Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and the Jammu and Kashmir Police to intervene and take appropriate action.
She also appealed to Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and the Grand Mufti to raise awareness about the issue.
Responding to Mehbooba’s post, Mirwaiz said the concerns raised over the proposed programme “deserve immediate attention”.
He alleged that allowing such a programme in Gurez was particularly concerning in view of the controversy surrounding a similar event in Goa.
“Kashmir is the land of sufis and saints. Here spirituality is experienced, not marketed at a cost!” Mirwaiz said.
He further said that promotion of tourism should not, in his view, come at the expense of the region's “religious, cultural and social ethos”, and urged the authorities, including Chief Minister, to take note of the matter.
The Grand Mufti of Jammu & Kashmir Nasir-ul-Islam also took a serious note of the proposed event .
“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 cha character. The House therefore calls upon Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, the J&K Police and the concerned administration to act immediately and establish the facts: verify the organisers, examine the complete programme and its promotional material, ascertain the permissions granted, and ensure that no activity contrary to law or the legitimate religious and cultural sensitivities of the people is permitted,” the grand mufti said.
“Kashmir welcomes guests; it does not surrender its values. Tourism must serve the dignity of the land and its people not become a pretext for introducing practices that are incompatible with their deeply held convictions,” he added.
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