The new year has begun and the saga of religious harmony in the country continues. It was reported by a local citizen-managed social media Sikh group on Facebook that an old man passed away in Saidwani Khag village in Budgam, Kashmir. Reportedly, the day the man died, his body was guarded by and taken care of by the Muslims in the village until other members of the Sikh community and other family members could arrive there. Only two Sikh persons were living in the village and hence in a humanitarian gesture, the Muslim villagers took care of the deceased person until other Sikh members arrived and also took part in the last rites and cremation as per Sikh rituals.

The video may be viewed here: 

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A day after three Bharatiya Janata Party workers were killed in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, the police has said terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) was behind the murders. According to a news report in The Tribune, Inspector General of Police Vijay Kumar confirmed this and also appealed to the protected persons in the valley not to move around without their security details.

Late on Thursday evening, three BJP workers identified as Fida Hussain Itoo, Umer Hajam and Umer Rashid Beigh, were shot dead by militants in the Y K  Pora area of Kulgam district in south Kashmir. Fida Hussain Itoo was a BJYM district general secretary, Umer Rashid Beigh was the BJYM district executive member, and Umer Hajam was a party worker, stated reports.

J&K BJP strongly condemned this barbaric terror attack on BJP Leaders Fida Hussain Itoo (BJYM District Gen Secy Kulgam), Umer Rashid Beigh (BJYM District Executive Member Kulgam), Umer Hanan (BJYM District Gen Secy Kulgam), those who are responsible for this will not be spared. pic.twitter.com/tdRbE2BW0t

— BJP Jammu & Kashmir (@BJP4JnK) October 29, 2020

According to media reports the terror group The Resistance Front (TRF), which is said to be a shadow group of LeT, claimed responsibility for the killings. The news report adds that police have seized a vehicle used in the attack, the IGP told a news agency that such killings were being executed at the behest of Pakistan. “Three militants came in a local car belonging to a local militant identified as Altaf. Fida (Hussain) was with his two colleagues in a car and the militants fired indiscriminately on them from close range. They received grave injuries and succumbed on the way to the hospital,” the IGP told the media. According to the senior cop, the militants fled towards Achbal area, from where the car was seized this morning.

The IGP shared names LeT militants who are suspected to be behind the killings, they are: Nisar Khanday; and one Abbas from Khudwani who was once associated with Hizbul Mujahideen, now with LeT and TRF. According to the office there may be a third minitant, a ‘foreign terrorist’ involved as well.

According to the report, the slaim BJP worker Hussain was one of the 1,619 vulnerable persons who were lodged in secure locations before the special status of Jammu and Kashmir was revoked on August 5 2019, “We had kept Fida (Hussain) in a hotel in Pahalgam where he stayed for three weeks. Recently, he gave an undertaking and left the hotel. We are investigating what they were doing in a car in an area far away from home,” he said. The IGP said it was possible  that they were killed in a pre-planned attack.

These killings are yet another in the list of attacks on BJP politician-activists, and other local  leaders. According to the IGP this was part of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, “Recently, mediapersons also received threats through ‘Kashmir Fight’, an online medium which is run in Pakistan, or the TRF website. They claimed the attack yesterday on ‘Kashmir Fight’ as well. This is Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and this proves that these killings take place on the orders from Pakistan,” he told the media and asked all ‘protected persons’ of the region to to follow the standard operating procedures (SOP) laid down by the security agencies,  and not to move without their security details. “We have provided PSOs and security to 157 BJP workers, nearly 30 have been provided with guards and we will provide more security to those who have severe threat perception,” said the top cop.

The Prime Minister led his party in condemning the killings and hailed the three slain workers as “bright youngsters doing excellent work in J&K.”

I condemn the killing of 3 of our young Karyakartas. They were bright youngsters doing excellent work in J&K. My thoughts are with their families in this time of grief. May their souls rest in peace. https://t.co/uSfsUP3n3W

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 29, 2020

जम्मू-कश्मीर के कुलगाम मे कायराना हमले में आतंकवादियों ने ज़िला भाजपा युवा मोर्चा के महासचिव फिदा हुसैन समेत 3 नेताओं की हत्या कर दी। ऐसे राष्ट्रभक्तों का जाना देश के लिये बड़ी क्षति है। पूरा समाज पीड़ित परिवारो के साथ है। ये बलिदान व्यर्थ नहीं जाएँगे। परिवारों के प्रति संवेदना।

— Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) October 30, 2020

These killings come after the murder in August, of Abdul Hamid Najar, Budgam district president of the BJP’s OBC Morcha. Najar was shot at while he was out on a morning walk near the railway station in Budgam. The 38-year-old was shifted to Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) Hospital in Srinagar after the attack, reported the Hindustan Times, where he succumbed to his injuries

Abdul Hamid Najar is the third BJP leader from the Valley to be targeted in the  past week. This attack too was followed by resignations from several local BJP leaders, the Indian Express reported. Just a few days before this, on August 6 Sarpanch Sajad Ahmad Khanday was shot dead by militants, near his home in Kulgam’s Qazigund area. He was the party’s district vice president for Kulgam.

The IE reports that according to police the Khanday too, was attacked after he left his secure accommodation to visit his home. Similarly, Sheikh Waseem Bari, his father and brothers were attacked when they were allegedly left unguarded despite having a massive security detail. And Ajay Pandita Bharti, did not even have a security cover he had been asking for, when he was killed. That time, at least four BJP leaders – general secretary of the party’s Bandipore unit Avtar Krishan, district president of Budgam Imran Ahmad Parray, constituency president Wali Mohammad Bhat, and Budgam district office secretary Sameer Ahmad Shah – had  announced their resignation from the BJP.  Local politicians who have been targeted so far by militants include: 

• August 10: Abdul Hamid Najar, shot, critically injured
• August 6:  Sarpanch Sajad Ahmad Khanday, shot dead
• August 4: Arif Ahmad, shot, critically injured
• July 8: Sheikh Waseem Bari, his father and brother, shot dead
• June 8: Sarpanch Ajay Pandita Bharti, shot dead

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Image Courtesy: Sify.com

The Communist Party of India – Marxist (CPI-M) issued a statement on Monday, September 30, 2019 decrying the announcement of the Block Development Council polls in Jammu and Kashmir on October 24. The party said that the announcement was a ‘travesty of democracy’.
In the statement, CPI-M said, “It is an attempt to portray to the world that “normalcy” prevails when in fact for the last two months there has been an unprecedented clampdown on communications, movement of citizens and continued incarceration of political leaders and activists. The elections to the BDCs in such a situation will be nothing but a sham.”

The party said that the Electoral College for the BDC elections comprises of panches and sarpanches but over “61 per cent of their seats were lying vacant, mainly in the 138 blocks in the valley, owing to people’s non participation in the elections which were held in December 2018.” The party also said that it was evident that the State Election Commission hold elections to fill these vacant posts first.

The party questioned Home Minister Amit Shah’s claims of Jammu and Kashmir not being under any restrictions and that such notions were only of those who opposed the government. It demanded that the government answer why there was a communications blockade and why leaders were in jail.

“These are not just restrictions but a continuing assault on democracy”, the party stated, accusing Shah misleading the country through ‘untruths’.

The party concluded its statement by saying, “The CPI (M) reiterates its demand for restoration of normalcy, release of all political leaders and activists and elections to be held after the right to political activity is restored.”

J&K Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Shailendra Kumar declared on Sunday that the BDC elections will be held in 310 blocks on October 24 and the counting of votes will take place the same day.
 

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Srinagar:- On December 8, 1989, Rubaiya Sayeed, the 23-year-old daughter of the then Union Home Minister Mufti Sayeed Mufti

Mohammad Sayeed was kidnapped in Srinagar by the members of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), a separatist group based in Kashmir. In lieu of her release, the kidnappers demanded the release of five militants— Sheikh Abdul Hameed, Sher Khan, a Pakistani militant; Noor Muhammad Kalwal; Muhammed Altaf Bhat; and Javeed Ahmed Zargar. The Government-led Prime Minister V. P. Singh met the demand and she was released on December 13.
 

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) blamed JKLF leaders— Mohammad Yaseen Malik, Manzoor Ahmed Sofi, Javed Ahmed Mir and Showkat Ahmed Bakshi, Javed Ahmed Zargar and Ali Muhammad Mir for kidnapping and conspiracy.

After the abduction, a case was filed in Police station Sadar in Srinagar City. The FIR No.339 was registered on 8 December 1989 under Sections 364, 368 RPC, Section 3(1) TADA Act and 25 Indian Arms Act, against unknown persons.

Almost after three decades, the case against Yasin Malik, the main accused and others, was shifted to Jammu for proceedings on CBI’s plea.
According to official sources, this was done for the ‘speedy trial’ of the case while people here see it as part of the tough approach towards Kashmir’s separatists by New Delhi.

Reports said the Union Home Minister was “shocked” to know the status of 1989 Rubaiya Sayeed kidnapping case and he expressed “displeasure” over the “slow pace of trial.”

In 2009, the High court stayed the trial against Mohammad Yasin Malik and others in the case before a Tada court in Jammu.

On March 13, the petitions filed by CBI in High Court, seeking vacation of the stay on trial and shifting the proceedings to Jammu in the kidnapping and killing of five Air Force officials cases from Srinagar to Jammu decided to be heard in the Jammu wing of the court as per the high court rules and circular issued by it in this regard.

The CBI counsel Tahir Majid Shamsi had filed a transfer appeal before the Srinagar wing of J&K High Court contending that the main accused, Yasin Malik, is an influential person in the state which is likely going to influence the proceedings of the matter.

“The writ petitions cannot be taken up for consideration at Srinagar Wing and have to be sent to the Jammu Wing for hearing and decision in accordance with Circular 6 dated 18.12.2010 and Guideline 94 dated 7th December 2018,” a bench of Chief Justice Gita Mittal said. On Monday, the HC reserved the orders after a plea.

“All other steps including hearing, consideration and decision have to be by the Wing to which it relates. The petitioners have accepted this when applications seeking permission to file the writ petitions relating to the Jammu Wing at the Srinagar Wing was sought,” the court said.
The writ petitions, the court reiterated, can be heard and decided only by the Wing to which the matters relate i.e., the Jammu Wing, the court said.

A brief background of the two cases
According to the CBI, Rubiya Syed was kidnapped while she was going in a Tata Mini Bus from Lal Ded Hospital her to her house at Nowgam in outskirts of Srinagar. She was taken to some unknown place by the militants travelling in the same minibus and they threatened to kill her in case their demands were not met and “created terror amongst all the passengers by showing gun and pistols to them”.

After completion of the investigation in the case, the charge sheet was filed by the CBI on 18.09.1990 under Section 364, 368, 109 and 34 RPC, Section 3(1) TADA and Section 27 of Arms Act, before the court of 3rd Additional Sessions Judge Jammu— the designated court under the TADA Act.

During the pendency of trial in this case, on 25th October 2010, an application was filed by the accused persons seeking transfer of the case to the designated TADA court at Srinagar. The CBI filed objections and opposed the application.
 

The case was registered by the CBI and on completion of the investigation, a charge sheet was filed on 31st August 1990 under Section 302 RPC of RPC, Section 3 and 4 of TADA Act and Section 27 of the Arms Act against Muhammad Yaseen Malik and five others, before the designated TADA Court at Jammu.

Both the cases were transferred to Srinagar from Jammu and in April 2009, Srinagar wing of the J&K High Court stayed Yasin Malik’s trial in a designated TADA court in Jammu. Now both the cases have been transferred back to Jammu for further proceedings.

Political experts in Kashmir believe that the opening of the 29-years-old case is just “propaganda” by the Modi-led government to win the upcoming elections. They believe shifting of nearly 3 decades old case to Jammu as Modi’s “Muscular Policy’ towards Kashmir.

“It is the changing approach of current the government in the centre and shifting of Yasin Malik’s case to Jammu that too after decades is the part of the same approach and I think this will continue till the elections are not over,” said Professor Noor Ahmad Baba, a Political expert in Kashmir.

Baba said the failure to address the Kashmir conflict meant the government is using the old cases for its benefits. “If the BJP continues to remain in power, it will continue with the muscular policy towards the Kashmir and it will not be good for the future.”

A staunch supporter of JKLF, who wished not to be named due to security reasons, said Kashmiris have been always used by the Indian politicians for the political benefits.

“Tell me why a 30-year-old case was reopened? If Yasin Malik was involved in the kidnapping why didn’t they punish him in 30 years,” he questioned.

Talking to this reporter, Javeed Ahmed Mir, one of the accused allegedly involved in the kidnapping cases, said the JKLF announced a unilateral ceasefire in 1995 after the assurance of an American diplomat, Robin Raphel, who assured them that the GoI will support peace initiatives if JKLF leaves the path of violence.

As a result, Mir said, they left gun culture and choose the non-violent means to demand their rights but the BJP government led by Narendra Modi is pushing them to choose the gun again.

“We don’t know why we are being targeted in the decades-old case. If we are demanding our right through peaceful means, then why are our leaders being detained without any charges?” asked Meer.

The raids on separatists leaders seem to have had no impact, especially on JKLF. Their office at Masuima locality in Srinagar was filled with a dozen of activist discussing the Kashmir situation.

“We have hundreds of cases going on in different courts. Over 100 of our workers are behind bars. I am telling you nothing is going to happen to Yasin Malik,” said one of the activists, wishing anonymity.

“Modi wants to show his presence and his psychological warfare to the people of Kashmir, nothing else,” he says.

Courtesy: Two Circle

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