The ousted imam of Kashmir’s holiest shrine Hazratbal, Dr Kamal Farooqui, on Tuesday said he was a victim of the Jammu and Kashmir Wakf Board’s wrath as he was being prevented from visiting the shrine.

Farooqui was ousted by the government-run waqf board, headed by BJP leader Dr Darakshan Andrabi, in April for presiding over a public conversion of a Hindu man to Islam.

According to Farooqui, he became Hazratbal imam in 2018.

The ousted imam on Tuesday addressed his first media conference after the April event and made a passionate plea to the media to raise the voice of people, who have no access to power and are facing injustice and oppression.

“I am a victim of indignation (wrath) and I want to make a few points before you…. I don’t understand why I am being prevented from visiting the dargah (Hazratbal). I want to clarify that I am not an appointee of the waqf. My family has been performing the duties uninterruptedly for 350 years.”

In April, police lodged an FIR against the alleged conversion of Haryana resident Sandeep Kumar. The conversion, presided over by Farooqui, took place on Jumat ul Vida, the last Friday of Ramzan, in the presence of tens of thousands of people.

After a public outcry, the waqf board held an emergency meeting and ordered an inquiry. It also temporarily removed the imam from his position. There have been no updates on the inquiry and Farooqui has not been reinstated.

The waqf claimed the conversion caused chaos and confusion, and had the potential to disturb public harmony.