Jugal Kishore Gupta
DP families from POJK -1947 & Chhamb, have to tell, the tales of conspiracies, treachery, deceit and their unending woes. The notorious 88na shourash (Riots of 1988 Bikram Samvat 0r 1930-31AD), in Kashmir, had signalled for the worst to happen, for Hindu/Sikh minority areas, of Jammu Province. The communal fire that broke out, in Kashmir at that time /was never put out honestly, professionally and completely. The fire of communal hatred ignited in Kashmir against, Non-Muslim Kashmiris/Sikhs and Dogras, engulfed the whole of Jammu Region. In the spontaneous reaction, that followed, there was a complete ethnic cleansing of Sikh and Hindu population in Dhana, Khui Ratta, Chawla, Samwal and Panjeri areas of Mirpur and Kotli . Some survivors, however, after losing their kith and kin as well as their home and hearth besides helplessly watching the rape and torture of their womenfolk, fled away in fear and protest. The wounds never healed up, but good sense prevailed and both the communities decided to move together, in alliance, on the path of life in those disturbed and destroyed areas of Mirpur and Kotli.
Finally, in 1947, the worst genocide was committed upon the minority community in Mirpur, Poonch, Muzzafrabad and Rajouri areas in Jammu Province. This time, about 18000 Sikh and Hindus, were butchered and some 5000 young girls and women were kidnapped, raped, tortured, paraded naked on the roads, sold and butchered, alone in Mirpur on 25th/26th November’1947. About 5000 more people were made captive, taken towards Alibeg via Kas gumma-Akalgarh-Thathyal . There they were kept in Alibeg Gurudwara turned Camp (POJK) where 2/3 of them were made to die within next three months.
According to a Senior Journalist of the time,” The genocide of Mirpur (Jammu Province), J&K State on 25th /26th November1947 was, perhaps, next to that of horrifying genocide committed by Taimur Lang , upon Delhi, in 1358 AD.”
At that atrocious point of time, Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru was the Prime Minister of India and also handled the Kashmir Affairs. The pleas of Mehar Chand Mahajan-Ex-Prime Minister J&K, Prof Balraj Madhok, M.L.A Mirpur-Ram Lal Chowdhary, M.L.A Jammu- Pt. Prem Nath Dogra and some other leaders of Jammu who met the Sheikh, Pt Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi and S. Patel-Union Home Minister, many a times, in Jammu and Delhi, with regard to safety and security of Mirpur, remained ignored . On 15th November, 1947 thousands of people had gathered on Jammu Airport to appeal to Prime Minister of India-Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru to save about one lac people of Mirpur and its surrounding areas. Pt. Nehru did not meet them and boarded for Kashmir.
On 18th November, in a Radio Broadcast, Union Home Minister- S. Patel announced that four Battalions of Indian Army are reaching to save Mirpur. In their frantic effort to save the entrapped Mirpur people, Pt. Prem Nath Dogra and Professor Balraj Madhok met Indian Army Commander Brigadier Pranjpay at Jammu. The Brigadier told them that Army Commanders are under orders that Army cannot be deployed in J&K without the orders of Sheikh Sahib.
On 24th November, Pt. Prem Nath Dogra and Prof. Balraj Madhok, in their effort to convince Pt. Nehru to intervene and save Mirpur, met Pt. Nehru and humbly requested him to order for the deployment of Army in Mirpur. Upon this Pt. Nehru became rash and once again asked those Dogra leaders to go and meet the Sheikh in the matter. THUS FINALLY, THE FATE OF MIRPUR WAS SEALED by the then mighty leaders of India and J&K State.
The sequence of events that followed, in Mirpur, justify the belief, that the brave and daring people of Mirpur were punished for their sincerity to defend the integrity and sovereignty of INDIA. The courageous people of Mirpur fought the enemy bravely and forcefully till their last breath. Unfortunately, they were defeated, because of the internal and external conspiracies.
All the time, these leaders from Jammu Province, were directed to see the Sheikh. The Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, was the Prime Minister of J&K State. The Indian Army Commanders, then fighting against Pak supported Jehadis in J&K, were under orders to follow the instructions of the Sheikh, in matters of deployment of forces, in the State.
On 25th/26th November 1947, some Indian Army Troops were available, at a distance of about 30-35 Kms at Jhangar, which could be easily deployed, to save the crying and dying patriotic people, in and around Mirpur. As ill luck would have it nothing visible was done. Alas! they were undone and Mirpur was gifted to the enemy.
The crying and dying families who escaped the jaws of death reached Jammu after walking long distances. Many of them, under compelling circumstances, moved onwards to other places in India in search of livelihood, food and shelter and thus continued to struggle for their survival. The lesser availability of means of communication/transportation and financial resources, they mostly remained isolated from their main stream for quite a longer period and thus became strangers for their own motherland -J&K State. The dynastic rulers of the State showed no concern for them. On the other hand, the lot of DP’s from Mirpur, who camped in and around Jammu, soon felt like ‘out of the frying pan into the fire’ They continued to limp back , on their own, to survive and lead an ordinary life.
The successive dynastic Governments in J&K/ Delhi never treated them sympathetically and ever remained indifferent to their miseries and sufferings till the Prime Minister of India- Sh. Narendra Modi led GOVT. having felt the sacrifices, pains and sufferings of POJK- DPs. Mr. Modi has not only provided them Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Package worth Rupees Two Thousand Crores within 6 months of its first tenure but also got them rid of notorious Article 370, 35A within 2-3 months of its second tenure. Earlier the dynastic Governments in J&K State, HAVE TAKEN 68 LONG YEARS TO SIMPLY, RECOMMEND SETTLEMENT PACKAGE in favour of these DPs, to the Union Govts.
Modi’s goodwill gesture, on humanitarian grounds, is visibly, a heartfelt tribute to the brave and daring citizens of India who hailed from ill-fated areas of Mirpur, Poonch, Rajouri and Muzzafrabad in Jammu Province of J&K State, and who laid their lives for UNITED INDIA.
It is a matter of pride and honour for the present generations from those areas that their brave ANCESTORS, did not show their back but faced the enemy for the cause of National Integration, and patriotic- traditions, to their last breath. Their sacrifices have added to the Nation’s Strength and shall continue to inspire the present generations to be brave, bold and sacrificing
The families of POJK DP,s of 1947 and Chhamb DP’s of 1965 and 1971 in Jammu Division have/had suffered on the similar grounds as that of Kashmiri Pandits (Migrants) in 1989-90 in Kashmir Division. They suffered and sacrificed for the cause of United India. The present generations of those martyrs deserve better treatment to their bleeding wounds. It is therefore humbly prayed to the leadership of Modi ji to deliver complete justice to DP’s/Migrants of J&K.
Indian Parliament Resolutions declaring POJK as integral Part of Jammu & Kashmir including Gilgit Baltistan be implemented, sooner than later.
The PM Employment Package needs to be extended to the DP families of POJK -1947 and CHHAMB keeping in view their talent, qualifications and economic backwardness.
The unregistered DPs are the worst sufferers. They deserve to be registered. on line, on priority, with the Provincial Rehabilitation Officer, Jammu.
POJK DP’s have a genuine demand for defreezing, at least, 10 Assembly Seats out of 24 Seats kept reserved for the people of POJK areas, to satisfy their hopes and aspirations, for political representation, in the J&K Legislative Assembly. Similarly one more Parliamentary Constituency be created in Jammu Province and made Reserved for DPs of POJK.
A large number of DP’s are still shelter less and economically weak. Most of them have left behind, their homes and hearth, during those times of turmoil. Some more Cluster colonies be constructed for the use of such economically weaker families, in Jammu Province, to enable them to live with dignity and pride as they used to be in their ancestral areas.
There is an urgent need to establish Guidance and Counselling Centres for them, at least at Zone level, in India, to enable them to be a part of the pleasant development taking place in their ancestral home- J&K. These Centres may also guide them about various schemes launched by the BJP Government for their welfare.
The families of DP’s from POJK are the sons/daughters of the soil J&K in India irrespective of their present places of living. They deserve to be declared as deemed Domiciled in J&K.
There is also a felt need to allow the purchase of agriculture land by those DP families from POJK who owned agriculture land in their native homes in POJK.
THE PRESENT GENERATIONS OF THE DP FAMILIES FROM POJK-CHHAMB
REMEMBER WITH REVERENCE AND PROFOUND RESPECTS ALL THEIR ANCESTORS WHO HAD CONTRIBUTED MUCH IN BUILDING J&K AND MADE SACRIFICES TO KEEP INDIA STRONG AND UNITED.
THEY ALSO GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGE ‘THE CARING AND CURING’ TREATMENT GIVEN TO THEM BY HONORABLE PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA-SH. NARINDER MODI & BHARTIYA JANTA PARTY LEADERSHIP 0.IN J&K U T. |
