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| More Amarnath yatris will die a miserable death | | SASB Hails Its Chairman -- II | | Rustam
Jammu, July 26: The Central BJP leadership did a right thing by taking up the issue with the Union Home Minister, but it is difficult to say that the authorities in Jammu & Kashmir will do the needful and take all the necessary steps to create the required facilities en-route the Holy Shrine of Baba Amarnathji. This belief stems from the two fundamental factors in the State politics. One is that the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) is headed by someone who has "no interest" in the Amarnath yatra.
It bears recalling the NN Vohra took over as State Governor on June 25, 2008 replacing Lt Gen (retd) SK Sinha who had done a commendable job overcoming all the hurdles created by the then Government in the State. Within 48 hours, Vohra shocked the entire nation, especially a billion-strong Hindu community, by expressing his unwillingness to conduct the yatra. In fact, he wrote a D.O. letter to the State Government on June 29 to this effect. The operative part of his letter read: "In view of the State Government's (read Ghulam Nabi Azad Government) firm commitment that the requirements and interests of the yatris will be fully ensured and protected, the SASB does not need to pursue its earlier request for forest land being diverted for creating the required temporary facilities for the yatris by the Board" (Indian Express, June 30, 2008). The State Government agreed and the land transfer order was withdrawn. What happened thereafter in Jammu Pradesh and other parts of India is a history.
Vohra took this mind-boggling stand after a number of Kashmiri leaders met with him and persuaded him to ask the State Government to revoke the land transfer order - order which had been issued strictly as per the direction of the Jammu & Kashmir High Court. The Kashmiri leaders who met with the Governor included the then Deputy Chief Minister Muzzaffar Hussain Beig, NC president Omar Abdullah, CPI-M leader MY Tarigami and PDF leader Hakkim Mohammad Yasin. Besides, these so-called mainstream Kashmiri leaders, all the separatists, including Syeed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, had been demanding revocation of the land transfer order. They had been accusing the Government of changing the demographic character in Kashmir by settling Hindus en-route the Holy Shrine, pollute the Kashmir's environment and disturb and destroy Kashmir's ecology and wildlife under the garb of the said Government order.
The negative attitude of the Shrine Board to the yatra and yatris is one of the two fundamental factors which are responsible for the tragic death of yatris. The other factor is the National Conference, which was put in the driver's seat in Jammu & Kashmir on January 5, 2009 by the Congress. It is being headed by Omar Abdullah who had shocked the nation by his July 22 Lok Sabha statement, which also culminated in the death of Kuldip Varma. Varma committed suicide on July 23 at Parade Ground, Jammu. He was so shocked and outraged. Omar Abdullah had said: "We are not communal like you (BJP people). Muslims have always supported the yatra and will continue to do. The issue was that of land wrested from people (read Kashmiri Muslims). We fought for the land and will continue to fight for the land. The land belongs to us. We will not give an inch of land." (Dainik Jagran, July 23, 2008).
This is the whole situation. "The conduct of yatra is in the hands of those who", according to many, "are not really committed". It would be only desirable to point out that the general perception in Jammu is that "neither the State Governor nor the State Government is interested in the conduct of the annual yatra" and that "they are interested more in catering to the sentiments of separatists who are opposed to the Holy Amarnath yatra than anything else". It is also painful to point out that the general view in Jammu is that "more and more Amarnath yatris will die a miserable death during the remaining days of the yatra". The toll has already touched the 100 mark. Last year, it was 111. This year it could be more considering what the people term as "negative and hostile attitude" of the authorities in the State, including those who have established their stranglehold over the SASB. The demand in Jammu and New Delhi that the State Government should be reined in and the Shrine Board be reconstituted by putting on it devout Hindus needs to be viewed in this context. (Concluded) |
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