Fire rages through the shrine of Dastgeer Sahib at Khaniyar in Srinagar on Monday (PTI)

Srinagar, June 25: One of Kashmir’s most sacred shrines, a 250-year-old wooden landmark dedicated to 11th-century Sufi saint Sheikh Abdul Qadir Geelani, was reduced to ashes in a devastating fire this morning, triggering violent clashes that left dozens injured.

Authorities fear more violence as several separatist groups have called a state-wide shutdown tomorrow to protest what they claimed was “sabotage”.

Chief minister Omar Abdullah said the government-run waqf board was committed to “re-building the shrine quickly but right now cooler heads must prevail and tragedy must not be exploited”.

The Peer Dastgeer Sahib shrine caught fire around 6.30, a couple of hours after the dawn prayers. Much of the wood-and-brick structure was destroyed within minutes, though law minister Ali Mohammad Sagar said all the relics and rare Quranic manuscripts were safe.

Sagar said the divisional commissioner, Kashmir, Asghar Samoon, had been asked to probe what caused the fire. “He has been asked to submit a report to the government at the earliest. We have also asked the Muslim Waqf Board to start reconstruction of the shrine in its original form since the digital (images of the) architecture is saved with them,” he said.

Witnesses said hundreds of people and fire-fighters battled the blaze but could do little to prevent the damage. Protesters, many of them chanting pro-azaadi slogans, threw stones at police, leading to clashes that left around two dozen people injured. They also targeted mainstream and separatist politicians who turned up at the shrine.

A police spokesperson said the fire had also damaged a mosque that is part of the shrine complex. “The roof of the Zanana Khana (the women’s quarters) and Jamia Jadeed (an under-construction prototype of the original structure) also got damaged.”

Kashmir’s deputy mufti, Azam Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam, said the government had “failed to protect” the shrine. “I think it was set ablaze by miscreants and it is the government’s job to find out who they are.”

Separatists, including Hurriyat hawk Syed Ali Shah Geelani, moderate leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chairman Yasin Malik have called a hartal tomorrow.

Hazrat Abdul Qadir Geelani, who was born in Iran, never visited Kashmir but has a huge following here. The shrine, which houses some of his relics, was built during Afghan rule in the 18th-century.

Historian Fida Hasnain said the Buddhist influence on the shrine was distinct. “It was among the several wood-and-brick shrines and mosques that were built in Kashmir during the last several centuries. All these structures are influenced by Buddhist pagoda-type architecture, where you will find a long minaret at the top,” he said.