Dussehra celebrated in Kashmir Valley

Dussehra, the festival signifying the victory of good over evil, was celebrated today with religious fervour and enthusiasm in Kashmir Valley.
Kashmiri Pandits and Hindus burnt giant effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakarna and Meghnath installed at Polo ground here, which became a major attraction for devotees and onlookers.
Hundreds of people, including women and children braved rainfall and thronged the ground to witness the fireworks and the ritual of burning the effigies this evening.
However, the crowd was much lesser compared to the last years.
The organisers of the event, Kashmiri Pandits Sangarsh Samiti (KPSS), accused the administration of "deceiving" them.

"We had sought permission for holding the event in the TRC ground as we did in the last few years, but the government denied it saying an Astroturf was being laid on the ground, though it has not been laid on any part yet. We were told to hold the event in the Polo ground, but it was damp and there was mud everywhere," president of KPSS, Sanjay Tickoo told PTI.

Tickoo said the community feels that the mainstream political parties do not want such functions to be organised here.
"We think that the government and all the mainstream political parties do not want us to organise such functions here. We think that we will not celebrate it here next year," he said.

Dussehra is celebrated on the culmination of nine days of Navratras.
Kashmiri Pandits restarted celebrating the festival in Kashmir after the gap of 20 years in 2007.