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| India is vast country to feed us, say fleeing labourers | | |
NIRBHAY JAMMUAL
Jammu, July 29: With no official word from the government or major political parties on the militant threat to non-Kashmiri workers, the scared and harassed poor labourers heading homes in different parts of country are carrying back a poor image of Jammu and Kashmir.
"We did not know that we were working in Pakistan, we though it is India and we are free to work anywhere for earning two square meals every day", said a disappointed Brij Mohan Sharma of Patna who literally cried on being pushed out of his work place. He said that the following militant threats they waited for the reaction of the government and the security forces but none came up with an assurance.
The separatists mainly the hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani and the militant outfits like Hizbul Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Mohammad had given a threat to the non-Kashmiri workers working in Kashmir to leave Valley within a week or face action. The threats came following a Police investigation which revealed that two Bihari labourers along with two local history sheeters were responsible for rape and murder of a minor girl in Langate area of Kupwara district.
Following this threat and intimidation by the local fanatics thousands of workers belonging to different parts of country, particularly Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujrat, Bihar, Jharkhan and West Bengal fled Valley fearing risk to their life.
Another worker, Dinesh Prashad of Uttar Pradesh told EARLY TIMES that he was cooking food in his room when some local boys came in and asked him and his other colleagues to pack their bags and get out of the Valley as soon as possible. He said that the local youths were known to them and they had worked together but immediately after the militants' call they changed their attitude and asked for leaving the locality immediately.
"We are workers and will find work anywhere else…India is a vast country to offer us avenue for works. But we had come for working in Kashmir considering that this is also a part of India ", said Gopal Mohan of Bundelkhand. He told EARLY TIMES, "we regret that two youths from Bihar committed a heinous crime but this is not fair that thousands of us have been punished for the fault of two". He added, "why the Hurriyat leaders and militants are silent about the locals who were also a party to the crime.
Thousands of workers have fled Valley and rushing to their homes after the militant diktat but unfortunately so far neither the government nor any major political party has come up with a statement or an assurance about the safety of the workers.
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