Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Escalating violence

The violence in Jammu and Srinagar over the revocation of the order allotting 39.88 hectares of forest land to the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board calls for the UPA government’s immediate attention. The decision to allot the land to the SASB was taken without weighing its pros and cons. While it provided the much-needed fodder to the secessionist forces in the Valley, the decision to revoke the earlier order provided the right-wing parties timely fuel to whip up communal passions. What is alarming in the whole episode is the failure of the administrators to gauge the mood of the people.

Bichu Muttathara,

Pune

It is unfortunate that the land transfer issue has made the people of J&K take to the streets and bury their glorious past. Kashmir is a Muslim-majority State but it has not seen communal riots despite being a conflict-torn region. In a State where the people have coexisted amicably for centuries, why have Hindus and Muslims become hostile to each other in the last two decades? The crisis in the Valley is the result of political games played by fundamentalist groups on both sides. The people’s sentiments are exploited for wrong reasons. The Shrine Board issue is a case in point. It is the virulent RSS that is to blame for sowing the seeds of animosity in the harmony-laden Valley.

Raoof Mir,

Hyderabad

The protests over the Shrine Board issue have taken the form of regional and communal tensions. The removal of a stretch of a railway track severing the only railway link of Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of the country is a serious cause for concern. It will embolden the separatist elements in the Valley and lead to the revival of extremism and militancy. It will not be long before Pakistan’s ISI and other anti-peace elements exploit the situation.

The need of the hour is to restore the rail link and make an attempt to arrive at an amicable solution. It is also time the people of the State reasserted the integrity of Jammu & Kashmir, rather than making it a Jammu versus Kashmir issue.

Lokesh Jangid,

New Delhi

The withdrawal of the land allotted to SASB was wrong. Politicians indulge in vote-bank politics by pampering the minorities. They do not realise that, in the process, they alienate the minorities from the national mainstream.

Jammu has been restive for quite some time but the UPA government hardly seemed to care. The Prime Minister convened an all-party meet only after the situation deteriorated considerably.

S.P. Sharma,

Mumbai

The situation in Jammu and Kashmir seems to be getting out of hand. In spite of warning from many that the revocation of the order transferring land to SASB would hurt the people of Jammu, it was revoked. The land issue is only the spark that lit the fire. To bring the situation under control, the UPA government should invite the representatives of all the communities in the State for talks; promise the people of Jammu that a consensus will be evolved before the start of the Amarnath yatra next year; and explore the option of conducting a survey in the State to get the people’s opinion on the issue.

Prem Kumar Gutty,

New Delhi

I am extremely concerned about the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. Something has to be done right now to prevent it from escalating. Political parties should soon arrive at a consensus and effective action should be taken before, I fear to say, it is too late.

Siddharth Chaturvedi,

Lucknow

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Amend the abortion law
For a food-secure South Asia
How to lose a war against insurgency
India, the IAEA and the art of ‘reservation’
East Asia and India’s civil nuclear odyssey
Corrections and clarifications
Escalating violence
On SIMI
High Court verdict

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu