Along with the mass destruction of trees and vegetation, substantial damage has been rendered to the 10 graveyards that form part of the 28 kanal and six marlas of Waqf land. The 400-year-old shrine of Syed Mir Azam Sahib, the 10th descendant of the pioneer Sufi preacher, Shah Hamdan, and the mosque have barely escaped the furrows of the bulldozers.

The descendants of those buried, whose graves are estimated to be between 8,000-10,000 in number, say that only 5 kanal of the Waqf land have been left untouched. When this correspondent visited the City Forests National Park on the outskirts of Srinagar, two desecrated graveyards provided ample evidence of the destruction of the bulldozers. The only graves that have escaped desecration are those that fall in the ``roughs''that border the golf hole fairways.

Graveyard stones lie upturned and displaced, while bigger grave stones have been broken up. The graveyards bear a ravaged look. Many grave stones have been bundled into tippers and taken away. On Saturday last, a bulldozer had broken into a stone slab marking a grave. When local foresters objected to the desecration, they were told in no uncertain terms to mind their own business as the golf project had the backing of the highest quarters of the State Government.

``Under Islamic practice, graveyards can be put to another land use after 40 years and that too for a field or for growing crops, certainly not for a golf course. But if the consent of the Muslim community and the descendants is not taken it amounts to desecration. We are not being allowed to even visit the graves and maintain them,'' said Mohammad Amin Pandit, who is a member of the Anjuman Tahfouz Ziyarat Syed Mir Azam Sahib.

The Anjuman has approached the High Court pleading for restraining the governmentfrom changing the land use of the site.

The High Court has granted a status quo to the Anjuman, but Pandit contends that the order is not being observed by the Sher-i-Kashmir International Golf Course authorities.

The petition of the Tehsil Waqf Committee, Srinagar, for eviction of the golf course authorities, who were entrusted with the first phase of its construction in 1987, from the 28 kanals and six marlas had been favourably met by the Court of the Eviction Authority, Waqfs, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir.

Then Sub-Judge T A Naqshbandi had in his judgment of May 6, 1991, expressed his ``indignation and displeasure over the manner in which the respondents have showed scant regard for the rule of law by behaving as land-grabbers''. The Sub-Judge had observed that the property ``had been duly notified by the government as a Waqf property vide SRO 344JK27 of October 27, 1988''.

Passing an eviction order, Sub-Judge Naqshabandi had pointed to the damage to the graveyards: ``The respondents have withoutany justification made an illegal encroachment on the said Waqf property for construction and raising of a golf course and have cut trees and removed graves and thereby caused material damage to it besides causing desecration to it.''

``However, successive appeals against the order were made by the government before the J&K Special Tribunal. As each appeal was dismissed, a fresh appeal was filed. The eviction order is not being implemented because it would ruin the golf course project,'' contends Pandit.

When contacted by The Indian Express, Khurshid Naqib, Director, SKICC, under whose charge the golf course is being constructed, denied any damage to the graveyards. ``No such desecration has been done or reported to me. I can assure you that the local people who are working on the project will never do harm to a graveyard. The descendants should approach me for inspection of the graveyards,'' he said.