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| Attack on media-persons condemned | | Various organizations, parties hold Vohra responsible for impasse | | Early Times Reporter
Jammu | Aug 2
Most of the social and religious organizations besides, political parties have held State Governor N N Vohra responsible for the current volatile situation here and also condemned the attack on media-persons under the garb of curfew restrictions.
Bar Association Jammu has strongly condemned the attack on media persons and restrictions imposed by the administrations on the media and said that it has been faithfully covering ongoing agitation and highlighting the sentiments of the people of Jammu, as it’s the fourth pillar of the democracy and has constitutional right to perform its professional duties as per the constitutional guarantees.
In an emergency meeting of BAJ held under the chairmanship of President Adv BS Slathia, bar members took stock of the latest situation emerging out of the ongoing agitation. BAJ appreciated the role of notable citizens of Jammu, who in response to the call of the BAJ did not attend the meeting called by the Governor and stood with the cause of Jammu by supporting the ongoing agitation for the purpose of land in favour of Shri Amarnath Ji Shrine Board.
BAJ impressed upon those who attended the meeting to respect the sentiments expressed by the people of Jammu region and genuinely stand united by supporting the program of Shri Amaranth Yatra Sangarsh Samiti and not get trapped in the sinister designs of administration aimed to divide the people of Jammu. BAJ is of the view that the demands put forth SASS are very clear and unambiguous and calls for unequivocal support of all sections of the society irrespective of their political and religious affiliations.
BAJ took strong exception to the so called pseudo secular Kashmiri Centric politicians appealed for maintaining peace and communal harmony, BAJ suggested Dr. Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, who were held hostage for about 3 hours by the people of Jammu at Jammu air-port, to go to Kashmir valley in order to create and atmosphere that the agitation launched by the people of Jammu is genuine and within the parameters of constitutional guarantees. BAJ further suggested that it was obligatory on the part of Kashmir based politicians to have educated the people of valley that diversion of land in favour Shri Amarnath Ji Shrine Board for creating temporary infrastructural facilities for pilgrims during Yatra period was not in any manner illegal or unconstitutional rather than succumbing to the pressure of anti-national, anti-social and secessionists forces for vote bank politics.
Bar Association Jammu expressed its gratitude to the support extended by different organizations of Govt and public sector undertaking employees by deciding to proceed on mass casual leave on August 4, 2008 in response to the call of the Bar Association Jammu.
BAJ requested its facts finding committee headed by Sr. Adv SS Lehar who had already visited Bishnah to submits its report as early as possible and also examine the terms of reference Justice OP Sharma (retd) Commission in order to enable the BAJ to decide its further course of action. BAJ also condemned the imposition of uncalled curfew in the entire Jammu District & Samba for crushing the on going agitation.
According to the Secretary General BAJ Adv Pawan Maini alleged that administration has decided to curve the ongoing agitation by imposing curfew, lathe-charge, and arrests of the workers and tried to divide the people of Jammu has cautioned the people of Jammu to not believe on the rumors spread by the agents of the administartion. He said that BAJ already appealed the people of Jammu to unite and maintain communal harmony. The other who attended the meeting are Vice-President CM Sharma, General Secretary Pawan Manni, Sr. Adv SS Lehar, Minu Koul, Subodh Jamwal, Sanjeev Shukla, Abhinav Sharma, Ranjeet Singh Jamwal, Rajesh Thappa, Pawan Dev Singh, Prem Singh Pawar, Rakeshwar Singh Darswal, Vikukash Anand, Vinay Sharma, Baldev Singh, Rakeshjeet Singh and Arun Jamwal Advocates.
Jammu State Morcha (P) demanded that the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir State, N.N.Vohra should either voluntarily quit the office as State Governor or be called back by the Government of India as he has failed to win the confidence of the people of the state, particularly of Jammu region for his hasty, communally biased, politically immature and irresponsible decision in the matter of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board while succumbing to pressure of fundamentalist, anti- India and secessionist forces of the Kashmir Valley.
He is responsible for the present turmoil in the Jammu region. He was forced to awake from the slumber of indecisiveness after a period of about one month when people of whole Jammu region were agitating and the region was burning with anger of resentment against the decision of the Government, revoking the order of land allotment to SASB and diluting the authority of the Board, reducing it to a defunct body.
Yesterday meetings of the Governor with the prominent citizens and the political leaders failed to create a situation to call off the present agitation. The Governor has again tried to side track the real issue of allotment of land to the Shrine Board. The appeal issued is not going to cut much ice. It is the State Governor who is responsible for not holding the negotiations with Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti and for allowing the situation to deteriorate up to this level. Instead of resolving the issue through negotiations and healing the wounds of the people of Jammu region the authorities resorted to repressive measures and it is the Governor again who has to take the imitative to resolve the issue through dialogue. The peace can only be restored if Shri Amarnath Shrine Board is allowed to use the 800 Kanal of land in Baltal area during the Yatra period and its authority to arrange the Yatra is restored. Governor must immediately issue the orders in this regard in interest of the people of the state to restore normalcy.
Jammu State Morcha (P) strongly condemned the excessive use of force by the state government in Samba, Hiranagar, Kathua, Jammu City and at other places where many of the people suffered serious injuries and two persons died in police firing in Samba.
Party also strongly criticized the statement of National Conference leader, Abdul Rahim Rather showing concern about the situation in the Jammu region and seeing communal trappings in the recent developments. The Morcha is also critical of the appeal of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed to senior BJP leaders, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishan Advani lamenting that the rhetoric of hatred is causing incalculable damage to the State’s integrity and amiable ethos.
Jammu State Morcha (P) strongly condemns the Government for imposing curfew, using repressive measures to crush the agitation and for not allowing Uma Bharti, Sadawi Ritambara to enter Jammu City for paying tributes to the Martyr Kuldeep Verma and address the Shardanjli Sabha.
On one side Government makes all possible arrangements for the safe arrival of Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, imposes curfew teargas and lathi charges on the protesters to make their way to Raj Bhawan on the other hand it did not allow the leaders supporting the movement to land Jammu. The Morcha also strongly condemns the police action, not allowing the media persons to move around to cover the happenings in the city; manhandling and beating them with lathis.
This is a clear violation of the civil rights, ethics of civilized society and amounts to infringing upon the freedom of the press.
Satwant Dogra, a senior leader from Samba today strongly condemned the indiscriminate firing at Samba by police resulting in the death of two youths she stated that firing on peaceful demonstrators was unnecessary, brutal , barbaric act and a violation of law and added that police and civil administration has let loose rein of terror to suppress the public and crush their genuine agitation against the discrimination meted out against peace loving people of samba. She appealed the state govt. to order a judicial probe in the death of Jugal Kishore and Sunil Singh.
She also warned of serious repercussions inhuman approach specially through deployment of JKAP , which has always being acting with a vengeance because of their
Mindset. She further added that Jammu has always been discriminated by Kashmiri rulers for the last 60 years. She also appealed to the Governor to immediately restore the land to SASB.
Shopkeepers Assosciation, General Bus Stand, Jammu has also condemned Governor Vohra highly repressive step in handing over Jammu city and its periphery to the army and repeated announcements made of shoot at sight of those who come out of their houses.
. Pledging support to the protesting media persons sitting on dharna against restrictions imposed on their movement, for discharage of their professional duty, the assosciation has flayed the authorities for such repressive measures.
Addressing the media persons, Ashwani Abrol Chairman said that army’s role is to fight against the enemies of the country and not against the nationalist and patriotic people , who are fighting for the upholding the banner of Indian nationalism in J&K. The governors action is reminiscent of the repression let loose by the British Raj against the freedom fighters before 1947.
He is behaving like General Musharraf of Pakistan, by ctraeting emergency like conditions in Jammu. While antinational elements who created turmoil in Kashmir and openly raised antinational elements who even hosted Pak flag at La Chowk were allowed to go scot free by Governors administration.
Members of Rajinder Bazar Traders Welfare Assosciation have also strongly condemned the highly repressive step taken by the administration in Jammu to curb the freedom of expression by restricting the media to cover the ongoing agitation against Govt’s move of denying the Amarnath Shrine Board land that was diverted to it.
All Party Migrant Coordination Committee (APMCC) Chairman Vinod Pandit has strongly condemned the brutal police action on Jammu media personnel covering the events of the day during emergency like situation in Jammu. Vinod Pandit in a statement said that the attack on the fourth estate was the result of frustration of NN Vohra who has been trying to solve such a volatile situation in a most arrogant style.
Vinod said that Vohra has turned Jammu into Gaza strip discarding all the human rights of the people to crush the agitation in Jammu.
He said that attack on forth estate in an attempt to prevent the local and national media from covering the brutalities and particularly trying to prevent the local media from publishing its tomorrow issues was unheard of in a democratic setup.
Vinod said that media can not be prevented from covering the events in any part of the world in modern days and it only displays the stiff and bureaucratic mind set of Vohra.
Demanding immediate removal of NN Vohra, Vinod said that he has failed to resolve the crisis in J&K and has neither been accepted by people of Kashmir nor Jammu.
Vinod has said that a governor who has no public relations can never deliver things in a state like J&K where two regions are on the verge of war path only because of his inept handling of the situation.
Former Minister and NCP Chief Thakur Randhir Singh has condemned the killing of two persons at Samba and demanded resignation of Home Minister Shiv Raj Patil and sacking of entire top police adminisatrtion responsible for the killing these two persons.
He demanded Rs 10 lakh exgratia to the dead and Rs One lakh to the injured. He also condemned the attack on the media men at Rehari Chungi Injuring cameramen of electronic and print media by the police. He has appealed to the people to carry peaceful protests and maintain communal and secular traditions of great Jammu.
J&K National Party also condemned the brutal police firing at Samba in which the two youth have been killed .
Various Congress Party leaders including Mangat Ram Sharma and Rajinder Sharma has condemned the attack on the media men as unfortunate and asked the administration to ensure free atmosphere to the journalists to perform their professional duties. |
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