J & K divide

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J & K divide

The divide between the Islamist separatists of Kashmir Valley and the Hindutva Group of Jammu over the ill conceived move by the then Governor of the State Lt. Gen (rtd) S K Sinha to allot 100 acres of land to Amarnath Shrine Board led to mass protest lasting for 64 days and death of more than 30 persons and an unbridgeable gulf between these two regions as if these two regions belong two hostile States. After prolong parleys a settlement with the Amarnath Sangharsh Sammittee has been arrived at which allows the Amarnath Shrine Board to utlise the disputed land for temporary use during Amarnath Yatra without any claim to proprietary or title rights over the land. The Amarnath Sangharsh Sammittee has withdrawn their agitation. While National Conference of Farooq Abdullah has welcomed the proposal, Mehbooba Mufti of Peoples Democratic Party has opposed the proposal as unilateral. While Jammu is celebrating this settlement as their victory, Islamist separatists in Kashmir valley have reinforced their violent protest resulting in imposition of curfew in nine districts. Their demonstration is now not confined to the Amarnath land but bigger issue of Azadi which the moderate elements in Kashmir did not have the boldness to resist.The All Party Hurriyat Conference spearheading the agitations in Kashmir valley roused public feelings with Pakistani flags and anti India slogan. Their leaders even threatened to open cross border trade across the LOC to thwart the attempts of the Hindutva elements in Jammu enforcing an economic blockade. To assuage the feelings of the separatists, the Government of India is pressing Pakistan to complete necessary logistical support to open cross border trade agreed to in the Foreign Secretaries conference held in July .It is expected that limited trade would start from October. The Prime Minister has also appointed a working group to study Centre-State relations which could not finalise its report so far. However there was no agreement among the parties about the nature of autonomy they would prefer. There was divergence of views from complete independence to self rule without the supervisory power of the Supreme Court and the Election Commission of India. Taking advantage of the failure of the State and the Central government to effectively counteract the separatists’ demonstrations, Pakistan’s ISI could provide logistical support and arrange to send terrorists across the border to fuel trouble. Unless the situation is controlled the elections in October would be difficult to be held allowing the secessionists another plus point. source: assam tribune editorial 03.09.08

Agitators reach accord over Amarnath land

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JAMMU, Aug 31 – At least 28 people were today injured when police used batons and fired teargas shells to disperse crowds which defied curfew and broke barricades to take part in a ‘victory’ rally in Jammu city after signing of an accord on the Amarnath land issue, reports PTI. Authorities had imposed curfew in Jammu, Udhampur, Kathua, Poonch, Samba and Kishtwar and deployed the army in the entire city to prevent the march called by Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangrash Samiti which suspended its two-month long agitation after the government allowed the Amarnath Shrine Board to use the land in Kashmir during the yatra period. People defied the curfew at dozens of places and broke through police barricades and barbed wire fencing put up by the army to march towards MAM Stadium – the venue of the ‘Vijay Rally’, police said. Fierce clashes erupted in Parade, Purani Mandi, Canal Road, Jewel Chowk, KC Morh, Janipur, Gangyal, Tallab Tilloo and Shakti Nagar, Residency road areas of city, with police, army, Rapid Action Force (RAF) and CRPF personnel resorting to teargas shelling and cane-charge on protesters, including women and children. Irate over the police action, people resorted to heavy stone pelting and clashed with police in which over 25 people and three police personnel were injured. “Fifteen persons were hospitalised and other were discharge after first aid,” police said. “We have imposed curfew to stop people from assembling and taking part in the major rally in view of intelligence reports of presence of some militants in Jammu,” district’s Deputy Commissioner Mandeep K Bhandari said. Militants can use this occasion to trigger violence, he said.“Fierce clashes have taken place in Jewel Chowk, Canal Road, Purani Mandi and Saint Peters areas in the city,” police sources said adding people chanting ‘Bum Bum Bolay’ were staging sit-ins at several places . “We did not allow people to reach to MAM Stadium – the venue of the rally. Strict orders had been passed by Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jammu to take all measures to quell the mobs,” they said. Bhandari said about three to four lakh people were expected to converge for the rally. Authorities had urged the Samiti to call off the march as there were fears that militants were present in the outskirts of the city who could be a threat to the rally, he added. “There is a security concern and that is why curfew was the only alternative,” Bhandari added. Senior Superintendent of Police, Jammu, Manohar Singh said that a man had reported entry of two militants in his house at Sangh Talab area of Raipur-Domana in the outskirts of the city. Army and police have launched an operation to track down militants and the entire area has been cordoned off, he said. The 64-day long agitation ended here today following signing of an agreement between SAYSS and the Governor’s panel headed by S S Bloeria under which the shrine board has been given 40 hectares of land for exclusive use by Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) for the period of yatra. source: assam tribune

CPM demotes Muslim MP for Umrah

As per the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) brand of 'secularism', backing Muslims on the Amarnath shrine land transfer issue is the order of things. But when it comes to allowing a party MP from the same community to practice his religious beliefs, the knives are brought out against him.

The CPM has censured and demoted its Kerala MP Abdullah Kutty for travelling to Mecca for performing Umrah two weeks ago. The young MP from Kannur, who went to Mecca in the first week of June, invited the wrath of the party's State unit for "defying" the party's ideology.

The district committee took disciplinary against him on June 19 and demoted him to a simple member in the local committee. Prior to the action against him, Kutty was an area committee member.

Incidentally, the party first "charge-sheeted" him for having performed the religious ceremony in Mecca. Later, conscious of the fact that the decision could invite backlash from the Muslim community, the party claimed Kutty was punished for delivering a speech against bandhs and hartals.

But talking to The Pioneer over phone, Kutty said: "Disciplinary action was initiated against me after I returned from Mecca. The so-called controversial speech is an old issue anyway. A number of leaders had aired the same view on bandhs and hartals."

He added, "The timing of the party's disciplinary action against me has made people believe that I have been convicted for performing Umrah. But the party denies that the action was caused by my having undertaken the religious trip."

Kutty refused to comment further, saying, "I am a dedicated party member and can't clarify all your queries since I have been censured."

Party insiders feel that Kutty has been penalised by CPI(M)'s State secretary and Politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan for his allegiance to the rival faction, led by Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan. source: http://www.indiannotion.com/index.php/newslinks/18094

PDP is playing in the hands of ISI: AIATF

Press Trust of India / Jalandhar July 05, 2008, 17:08 IST
Terming the People's Democratic Party (PDP) "anti-national", Chairman of All India Anti-Terrorists Front (AIATF) M S Bitta today alleged that PDP has raked up the issue of land transfer to Amarnath Shrine Board on instructions from ISI.

"Overflow of tourists and pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir has caused worry to the ISI, which instigated PDP to rake up the issue and withdraw the support to the Azad government,"Bitta said.

He demanded that the PDP should be barred from politics and even the links of the PDP with ISI should be probed.

"Land should be immediately re-transferred to Amarnath Shrine Board and political consensus should be arrived for the same," he said.

"Security of Amarnath yatra should be handed over to Army and other para-military forces as the state failed to provide fool proof security arrangement", he said. source: http://www.business-standard.com

Curfew continues to be in force in Jammu

Curfew continues to be in force in Jammu
5 Jul, 2008, 1228 hrs IST, PTI

JAMMU: Curfew remained in force today in Jammu and towns of Bhaderwah, Samba and Kathua, officials said.
There was no fresh incident of violence or defying the curfew restrictions reported from these areas, they said.

Curfew was imposed in some parts of Jammu city on July 1 after protesters demanding cancellation of land transfer order to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board clashed with police and indulged in stone pelting on vehicles.

It was later extended to the whole city when protesters defied curfew and held demonstrations at different places.

Curfew was also imposed in Bhaderwah and Samba on July 2 and in Kathua on July 3 following incidents of violence and clashes between police and the demonstrators.

Senior civil and police officers were closely monitoring the situation, the officials said, adding that relaxation may be considered for varying periods to enable people to buy essential things.

Police, CRPF and Rapid Action Force (RAF) have been deployed to maintain law and order here, they said.

Different yardsticks for Hindus and Muslims, allege Jammu bodies

Different yardsticks for Hindus and Muslims, allege Jammu bodies
Agencies
Posted online: July 04, 2008 at 1556

Despite the fact that the shrine board had offered to pay Rs 2.43 crore for constructing temporary pre-fabricated huts for the pilgrims, the chief minister reversed the government order, the Sangharsh Samiti said.

Jammu, July 4: Various political and social organisations spearheading the present agitation in Jammu alleged that Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad is adopting different yardsticks for Muslims and Hindus in the state.

"Azad succumbed to the pressure of secessionists on cancellation of land transfer order to Amarnath shrine board, ignoring the faith of crores of Hindus," said L K Sharma, convenor of the Sangarsh Samiti, a conglomeration of various political and social bodies.

Despite the fact that the shrine board had offered to pay Rs 2.43 crore for constructing temporary pre-fabricated huts for the pilgrims, the chief minister reversed the government order, he said.

Sharma said Azad had provided free government land for setting up Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University and Islamic University in the state, but not for Mata Vaishno Devi University set up near Katra.

"This clearly shows that the government is adopting different yardsticks for Muslims and Hindus," he alleged.
editor@expressindia.com

Cancel revoked order on land transfer to Amarnath board: BJP

Demanding that the Jammu and Kashmir government cancel the revoked order on land transfer to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday asked Muslim organisations across the country to support the cause.

"The revoking of land transfer order to the SASB by the government is unfortunate and shameful," BJP president Rajnath Singh told reporters in Jammu.

Alleging that the government had succumbed to the separatist forces on the issue, Rajnath Singh said the state government and the Centre were equally responsible for the situation arising out of the cancellation of land to the shrine board.

The BJP president said the decision to transfer land to the SASB was taken with a view to providing facilities to the pilgrims through the board. But the state and Central government yielded to separatists' pressure after they launched an agitation in the Valley and revoked the order.

"Since the minority government in the state has no moral authority to cancel the order, the BJP demands the cancellation of the order immediately," Rajnath Singh said.

While welcoming the Muslim organisations which supported the issue, the BJP president appealed to the community to come forward and fight against the decision.

Rajnath Singh vowed to cancel the order, if the people of Jammu and Kashmir helped the BJP come to power in the state. source: rediff.com

4 die in violence during ‘Bharat bandh’

BJP says it will continue its agitation till its demand for the transfer of land to the board is met

NEW DELHI: Violence marred the ‘Bharat bandh’ called by the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad to protest against the non-transfer of land to the Amarnath Shrine Board. Four died in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, where agitators set cars and buses ablaze and clashed with the police.

The BJP said it would continue its agitation till its demand for the transfer of land to the board was met. Protest rallies are being planned in various state and district capitals from July 4 to 11. Party spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said: “Nearly half of Jammu and Kashmir is occupied by Pakistan and huge chunks have been grabbed by China. What is the problem with giving a few acres of land to the Shrine Board?”

Bill boards outside the party’s central office said that “100 crore Hindustanis will not beg for 100 acres of land” and “BJP will not tolerate insult to devotees of Lord Shiva.”

The response to the ‘bandh’ call was partial in most states with shops in some areas voluntarily downing shutters, while in others groups of BJP workers forced them to shut down. Train services were affected in several places.

In Uttar Pradesh, the Shatabdi Express was stopped at Agra Cantonment, the Ahmedabad-Varanasi Sabarmati Express at Orai and the Howrah-Dehradun Express at Mughalsarai, each for a few minutes. More than 50 BJP workers were arrested in and around Lucknow, while in Delhi senior BJP leaders, including Venkaiah Naidu, participated in the protests.

In West Bengal, the ‘bandh’ had little impact, but in Kerala the State-run transport services were partially withdrawn after incidents of stone pelting and in several places protesters blocked highways.

In Karnataka, the response was mixed – while in Bangalore life remained near normal with schools and business offices open as usual, in some districts of Mangalore, Hubli-Dharwad, Udupi and Mysore, bus services came to a halt and business activities shut down. No major untoward incidents were reported barring stone pelting in a few places.

In Maharashtra, VHP supporters reportedly halted traffic on some major roads in North Mumbai causing traffic snarls and delaying office-goers. The police later dispersed the protesters.

Normal life was affected in parts of Punjab with the police using their canes to disperse crowds. Road and train traffic was affected in Ludhiana and Bhatinda and in Ambala protesters burnt effigies.

In Gujarat, a BJP-ruled state, life was near normal. Mr. Javadekar said the State would register its protest another day as Jagannath yatras were being taken out at 21 places on Thursday.

Fresh violence
Jammu Staff Reporter writes:

There was no let-up in the violent scenes and blood-letting in Jammu on Thursday.
Sixty five people, including a large number of police personnel, were injured in fresh protests against the cancellation of the order transferring land to the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board. Army carried out flag marches in curfew bound areas.

Protesters continued to defy the indefinite curfew orders in several areas. Police personnel who tried to implement the curfew earned the wrath of the protesters.

Kathua district, the gateway to the State, was the scene of massive protests. Protesters attacked the vehicles of districts officers. In Lakhanpur town of Kathua district — which borders Madopur area of Punjab — demonstrators set ablaze a toll post where entry tax on goods is collected. In the same district, a police post was also burnt.

On a request from the district administration, the Army carried out a flag march in Kathua town. Rail traffic was also affected in Kathua. Traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar road was blocked, as protesters gathered at Samba, Udhampur and Nagrota.

There were fresh attacks on the properties of Congress leaders. Congress leader Mula Ram’s house was attacked. But the police posted there managed to disperse the crowd.

Around ten police personnel were injured in a number of places in Jammu city when they tried to disperse crowds of protesters. Mobs attacked a police party in sector 2 of Durga Nagar.

A few Congress activists of the region joined the protests on Thursday. Jai Singh, a Municipal corporator belonging to the Congress, came out with scores of his supporters defying curfew orders.

A group of social activists, lawyers , political leaders and academicians issued a joint appeal to the people and the leaders of the agitation to realise that the secular tradition and identity of Jammu was its real strength, which one cannot afford to weaken. source: http://www.hindu.com/2008/07/04/stories/2008070456431200.htm

Congress is caving in to the demands of fundamentalists: Rajnath

Congress is caving in to the demands of fundamentalists: Rajnath

Restore order allotting land to Shrine Board: BJP
Demands revocation of Article 370

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party has called a nationwide hartal for July 3 to coincide with a bandh called by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad in protest against revocation of the land allotment made to Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board.

After a meeting of party office-bearers here on Tuesday, BJP president Rajnath Singh demanded restoration of the order allowing the Shrine Board to use some forest land to create facilities for pilgrims.

No one and no political party had ever protested against government creating facilities for pilgrims gathering in large numbers at any shrine, Hindu, Muslim or Sikh. He said the government was providing facilities for the Haj and for various ‘urs’ programmes.

Shah Bano case
Mr. Singh charged the Congress with caving in to the demand made by Muslim fundamentalists, even separatist forces in Jammu and Kashmir, as it had done in the Shah Bano case nullifying a Supreme Court judgment through legislation.

The protests by the fundamentalists against provision of facilities to Amarnath pilgrims destroyed the secular fabric of the country.

By caving in to their demands, the Congress demonstrated that it was one with them in creating a “theocratic environment” in the State, said a resolution adopted at the meeting.

Special status
Mr. Singh reiterated the BJP stand favouring revocation of Article 370 of the Constitution, which conferred a special status on Jammu and Kashmir.

Advani absent
The party’s prime ministerial candidate L.K. Advani did not attend the meeting.
It was noted by party leaders that after many years, the BJP virtually coordinated its ‘action plan’ with the VHP. While the VHP preferred to call the protest a bandh, the BJP described it as a hartal call, mindful of a court order declaring bandh calls punishable with fines. Source: http://www.hindu.com/2008/07/02/stories/2008070262311400.htm

Panthers Party moves SC against revocation of land transfer

Thursday, 03 July , 2008, 20:37

New Delhi: The Supreme Court is likely to hear tomorrow a petition challenging the decision of the Jammu and Kashmir Government to revoke the transfer of land to Amarnath Shrine Board.
The petition, which was mentioned before a Bench headed by Justice Altamas Kabir for urgent hearing, sought quashing of state government's order revoking the transfer of 39.88 hectare of forest land to the Board contending that the decision was taken by the minority government which has been directed by the Governor to prove its majority on the floor of the House on July 7.

The petition filed by Prof Bhim Singh, chairman of J&K National Panthers Party, also alleged that the state government has imposed the curfew in Jammu without any logic which resulted in creating anarchy and leaving the people helpless.

The imposition of curfew has taken away the fundamental rights of school going children, patients and working class, the petition said.

The petition sought a direction for the Jammu and Kashmir Government to pay a compensation to the families of those killed and injured during police firing in different parts of the state during the recent protests. source: http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14708306

Mirwaiz hits out at right wing parties

Mirwaiz hits out at right wing parties
Srinagar (PTI): Expressing concern over the deteriorating situation in Jammu region, moderate faction of Hurriyat Conference on Thursday accused right wing parties like BJP, VHP and Bajrang Dal of giving a communal colour to it.

Its chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq said some parties with vested interests were targeting a particular community for vote bank politics.

"Some parties like BJP, VHP and Bajrang Dal are trying to give communal colour to the situation. We want to make it clear once again that Kashmiris are not against the Amarnath yatra and have been facilitating for several decades now," Mirwaiz told reporters here.

He said the agitators in the Jammu region should learn a lesson from their counterparts in the valley as none of the Amarnath pilgrims or tourists were harmed during the nine-day agitation against the land transfer order to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board.

"Our struggle has not been against any community or religion. It has been for our rights and our future. The land in question belongs to our brothers from Jammu as much as it belongs to people of Kashmir," the chairman said.

He also alleged that a conspiracy was being hatched to change the demographic character of Jammu and Kashmir by bringing in people from other states of the country and settle them here.

Kashmiri Hindus protest against Jammu firing : kashmirlive

Aastha Manocha Posted online: July 03, 2008 at 1135

Kashmiri Hindus protested in the national capital on the police action against those protesting against the revocation of the Amarnath shrine board land order, in Jammu.

New Delhi, July 3: Kashmiri Hindus from various organisations protested in the national capital on Wednesday evening on the police action against those protesting against the revocation of the Amarnath shrine board land order, in Jammu.

They alleged that the J&K government has different policies for Hindus and Muslims as it did not impose curfew in Kashmir even after eight days of violence and mayhem yet the very first day of protests saw police beating, shelling and firing at protestors in Jammu.

The protestors were especially angry over the targeting of the Kashmiri Hindu camps in Jammu in the crackdown over the protestors.

Traffic in Delhi was blocked for about an hour at rush hour and central Delhi seemed to have stood still with no traffic movement at all. The crowd swelled due to the fact that the local onlookers too joined the protests to burn tyres and shout slogans.

According to reports, curfew has been extended to new areas in Jammu and around 100 people were injured in clashes with the police.
editor@expressindia.com source: kashmirlive.com