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Kashmir Valley explodes over
land-for-mandir
PDP withdraws support
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Govt cancels land transfer to shrine
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But J-K splits along communal lines as violence rages
Sach Kanwal Singh
SRI NAGAR:
BLATANT imposition of Hindutva agenda in
Kashmir has
triggered a groundswell of protests, violence, police firing, lathi
charges, street demonstrations and rage across the state. The PDP,
which had protested transfer of 40 acres of land to a Hindu shrine
board quit the government in protest, plunging the state in crisis.
The outgoing Governor S K Sinha pursued the Hindutva agenda till the
last day and the incoming Governor NK Vohra had to deal with the
raging violence. Now the Congress government in the state has
cancelled transfer of land, but the right wing Hindu party BJP has
taken up the cause in a big way.
As this edition
of the WSN was going to the press, it was the turn of
Jammu
to witness massive violence. Safrron band of BJP-RSS, Shiv Sena and
many other Hindu bodies had given a call for bandh in
Jammu on July 1,
demanding transfer of land to Amarnath (Yatra) Shrine Board. Some 60
people were injured in clashes, curfew was imposed at several
places.
Kashmir
valley saw the death of a 70-year-old in police firing in Budgam
(some reports said he was hit by a teargas shell) and things seemed
going out of control.
 Eager to cash
the emerging communal feeling, the BJP has called for an India-wide
strike on July 3 and repeated calls for scrapping Article 370 of
Constitution which gives the state a modicum of some autonomy. Many
experts said the Valley situation was back to where it was in 1990,
and at least one thing was clear.
Kashmir
and Jammu
were divided clearly along communal lines. The developments are
likely to bring Kashmir back to international focus and comparisons
with
Bosnia
may revert to global discourse.
Earlier, in a
bid to end three weeks of controversy over the transfer of forest
land to the Amarnath shrine board, new governor Vohra stepped in
and, in his capacity as chairman of the board, handed over yatra
arrangements to the government. CM Azad, whose government is now in
a minority and faces a vote of confidence on July 7, played along.
The Opposition National Conference also welcomed Vohra’s move.
Much of the row
was the doing of outgoing governor Sinha whose earlier stint in
Assam
also saw him indulge in similar shenanigans. It was Sinha who has
been giving undue importance to the yatra in the trouble torn state,
first fighting with the government to extend the duration of the
yatra, then for land etc. (Read detailed reportage on these aspects
in a special despatch on page 18).
The PDP,
Hurriyat hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Hurriyat moderates'
chief Mirwaiz Umar Farooq had also wanted cancellation of the
transfer of land, as did perhaps every single Muslim and much of the
civil society but the BJP saw an issue communal enough to stoke
fires and it is this which has created the crisis.
After teh PDP
pulled out of the government, and the opposition NC announcing they
will not support the government, it looks difficult for Azad to
survive a floor test.
Notorious
outgoing Governor Sinha's blue-eyed IAS officer Arun Kumar was
shunted out of the key post of principal secretary to the governor.
He too had played a key role in bringing the situation to this end.
And had made the obnoxious statement in response to opposition from
green activists (who had objected to raising of pre-fabricated
infrastructure on transferred land) in which he said: "Muslim
pollution is acceptable to you but not the Hindu pollution".
The PDP’s
parting of ways with its "natural ally" came two days before the
deadline set by it for CM to rescind the May 26 government order
diverting 40 hectares of forest land in the Sindh range north of
Srinagar
to the shrine board to build prefabricated lavatories and other
facilities for pilgrims. The parting came after violence claimed
three lives, 400 injured and no signs of abetting.
The PDP’s exit
has reduced the Azad ministry to a minority, as the Congress’
strength, with associated members, is only 34 in the 87-member
Assembly. In case Azad loses the July 7 vote of confidence, governor
Vohra is likely to ask him to continue in a caretaker capacity till
elections are held, which in any case will be in October. (For
contuing coverage of the
Kashmir
situation, please keep engaging with www.WorldSikhNews.com where
daily updates and news breaks will keep you in the loop. -- Ed)
2
July, 2008
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