Land transfer to Hindu shrine revoked in Kashmir, protests continue

South Asia News

Jul 1, 2008, 11:52 GMT

Srinagar, Kashmir - India's Jammu and Kashmir state government on Tuesday revoked a controversial order transferring land to a Hindu shrine amid spiralling protests by groups opposing and supporting the move. Five people have been killed in police firing during violent protests in the Muslim-dominated Kashmir valley over the past week after the government transferred 40 hectares of forest land to the board which organizes the annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave shrine. A meeting of the state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad cancelled the order on Tuesday in a bid to resolve the crisis. The decision came after the Amarnath shrine board gave up its claim to the land on Sunday and asked the government to manage the annual pilgrimage on its own. The state's summer capital Srinagar was tense in the hours leading up to the government's decision as large contingents of police patrolled the streets after a separatist organization called for a protest rally at a local mosque. Several leaders of the Hurriyat Conference, which had called for the rally, were taken into preventive custody. The protests in the state winter capital Jammu, which is largely populated by Kashmiri Hindus, took a more violent turn with demonstrators blocking traffic and burning tyres as they demanded that the board reverse its decision to hand over the Amarnath shrine affairs to the government, PTI news agency reported. Protestors fought pitched battles with the police and 11 activists of the Hindu-right wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena were arrested, the police said. At least 15 people were injured. The BJP-Shiv Sena had called a 72-hour shut down in Jammu on Monday as part of the protests. Schools, colleges and business establishments remained closed for the second day on Tuesday. The Amarnath cave shrine, where a natural icicle forms every year in the shape of a lingam, a phallic shape symbolizing the Hindu god Shiva, is one of the ancient religion's holiest pilgrimage spots. Thousands of devotees make an arduous trek up the Himalayas to offer prayers at the cave over two months in summer when the shrine is opened to devotees. The Amarnath pilgrims move under heavy security cover as they have been the target of Islamic separatist militants in the past. At least 32 pilgrims were killed in a militant attack in 2000. The Jammu and Kashmir government had transferred land to the shrine board saying the space was needed for the construction of facilities for the pilgrims, including prefabricated huts and toilets. Hurriyat conference leaders said the decision was part of a conspiracy to settle non-Muslims in the region with the aim of altering the demographic character of the state. Kashmir, a picturesque region, has witnessed much bloodshed since a separatist revolt peaked in the late 1980s. According to government data, more than 40,000 people - civilians, militants and security forces - have been killed in India- administered Kashmir since the 1990s.

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crpatelJul 1st, 2008 - 20:27:47

The Muslim Neanderthals of Kashmir do not for a moment think at the repur-cussions.The pilgrims spend considerable amounts during the pilgrimage.Who benefits from this ?
Oh! yes they can get a Sultan to buy a large tract of land in Britain to create the world's largest Islamic Centre.They can build thousands of Masjids and Madrassas in Hindu India.This time I don't think the Hindus will take it peacefully.Maybe we as Hindus should ask for a piece of land in Saudi Arabia for the purpose of building a temple. crpatel

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Land transfer to Hindu shrine revoked in Kashmir, protests continue

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