J&K tensed for sixth consecutive day

Saturday, June 28, 2008 at 9:06 am

Clashes continued for the sixth day today (June 28) between police and demonstrators at several places in the Kashmir valley as the protests against transfer of forest land to the Amarnath shrine board intensified.

Rejecting the appeal of Governor N N Vohra and Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, the protesters poured on the streets and thorough fares of the city early this morning, demanding revocation of order under which 39.88 hectares of forest land were transferred to the Amarnath board last month.

Both Vohra and Azad had appealed to the people to maintain peace and calm till the resolution of the issue. The chief minister made a televised appeal yesterday in this regard but separatists, who have been spearheading the agitation, rejected it as a mere eyewash.

The protesters engaged police and paramilitary CRPF in pitched battles at various places across the city, the sources said, adding police fired several rounds of tear smoke shells
at Budshah chowk and adjacent areas to disperse the mob.

However, the police action proved futile as the protesters, after dispersing temporarily, reassembled to continue their agitation, they said. They said mobs had also gathered at Sonawar, Batamaloo, Jehangir Chowk, Qamarwari, Hazratbal, Lal Ded and Safakadal areas of the city.

The protesters indulged in stone pelting at police and CRPF personnel at Rambagh, Barzulla and some other areas of the city, the sources said. So far there were no reports of any injuries to either side in the clashes.

Three persons have been killed and more than 300 injured during agitations in the region over the week. Although no political outfit has called for a strike today, shops and business establishments and educational institutions remained closed while public transport remained
off the road in all the districts of the valley.

The government has already announced closure of schools and other educational institutions for two days while attendance in government and other offices was almost zero owing the lack of transport facilities in the city.

The separatists groups have alleged that the government was planning to construct colonies for settling people from outside the state on the pattern of Israeli settlements to change the demographic character of the Jammu and Kashmir.

Even mainstream political parties including People’s Democratic Party (PDP), a junior partner in the state’s ruling coalition, opposition National Conference and State secretary of CPI(M) M Y Tarigami have also demanded revocation of the land transfer order.

Why is the Centre not intervening?

As the protests continued to, questions were asked about the Centre’s unusual silence over the raging fires in the valley. The violence is being described as the worst spate the valley has witnessed since early 90′s, when insurgency was at it’s peak.

With what started out as local protests taking an anti-India turn, fingers are now being pointed to the involvement of anti-national groups for instigating people. In the last five days, there people have been killed and over 200 injured.

Meanwhil, Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad called on Governor NN Vohra to discuss the tensed situation prevelant in Srinagar. They held a one and half hour meeting at the Raj Bhavan on Friday (June 27), where the CM briefed the Governor about various sensitive matters concerning the state.

Vohra and Azad appealed to the people to maintain calm and to resolve issues in an amicable and peaceful manner and all political parties and organisations to help in restoring normalcy.

“Maintenance of peace is vital to the larger interests of the state. Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed spilling of innocent blood in the past two decades,” the governor said, asking the people not to be misled by malicious propaganda or swayed by passions.

(With PTI inputs)

( This post is from an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not endorsed by APakistanNews.Com.)

J&K tensed for sixth consecutive day

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