Migration scare in Jammu

Shafqat Bukhari

Post cabinet reshuffle scenario has begun with two more attacks on muslims in Kathua district resulting in the killing of a muslim youth in Bilwar area the home constituency of former Deputy Chief Nirmal Singh and the other one revealing yet another attempt of drugging a minor school girl and the incidents by all standards of understandbilities seem to be part of the attempts to force migration of the minority muslims from the hindu dominated pockets to muslim dominated areas of Pir Panchanal and Chenab Valley. If attacks are not immediately stopped in Kathua and Samba districts fast becoming a hindu hot belt in Jammu region even naives can understand that the migration plans instigate by BJP and other hard core affiliates of Sangh Parivar virtually planed with increasing intensity in volatile Kathua and Samba districts can spread even to Jammu city where muslims live in isolated pockets in the neighborhood of hindu dominated residential colonies. The matter of concern is also the recent remark of Kavinder Gupta after taking charge as Deputy Chief Minister as he as speaker assembly too had triggered a controversy in January this year by pointing a finger of suspicion on the Rohingya muslim refugees over an attack on Sunjwam army base in Jammu in which many army men most of them Kashmiris were killed . Though Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti publicly takes pride in the religious tolerance she believes the people of Jammu have shown in recent years but the tendencies of BJP and hard core affiliates of Sangh Parivar show that they plan to virtually change Kathua-Samba hindu hot belt into a laboratory of Hindutva philosophy in only muslim majority Jammu & Kashmir state which has been at the core of difficulties in the India-Pakistan relations for last seventy years. Interestingly the attacks on muslims in Kathua have been stepped up barely few days after the recent cabinet reshuffle. Shunting out Chowdhry Lal Singh and Chander Prakash Ganga over their participation in the rally called by Hindu Ekta Manch the proponent of the demand for CBI inquiry into the Kathua minor rape case and bringing in Rajiv Jasrotia another MLA who too participated in the Hindu Ekta Manch rally to support the accused of Kathua rape and murder case is an eye opener for Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti. The disintegrating tendencies of BJP and other hard core affiliates of Sangh Parivar including new born Hindu Ekta Munch should wake up from deep slumber not only Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti but also the main opposition National Conference and the Congress Party’s top brass beating drums of secular politics and vowing to fight BJP’s polarization plans with full might. Deserving the attention of the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti is not only the BJP central high command’s silence over Lal Singh’s vicious campaign for CBI inquiry into Kathua minor girl’s rape and murder case but almost a clean chit given to him by party National General secretary who immediately after the cabinet reshuffle went on record to say “ the cabinet reshuffle has to do nothing with the investigation of the Kathua minor girl’s rape and murder case. Nothing wrong if Chowdhry Lal Singh demands CBI inquiry into the Kathua rape and murder case”. Ram Madhav’s words on the cabinet reshuffle and endorsement of Lal Singh’s provocations show the BJP’s disintegrating tendencies on the Kathua rape and murder case. Not only Ram Madhav’s endorsement of Lal Singh’s provocations but the BJP central high command’s silence over the remark of Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gulpta wherein he said “ Kathua rape and murder case is a minor incident” is an indication of the BJP’s plans of disintegrating tendencies ahead of 2019 poll battle in Jammu region. How stunning it is that the incident condemned in strongest possible words by the UN Chief, President of India and Prime Minister of the country is called a minor incident by the Deputy Chief Minister of the particular state where the crime has been committed. Though the demand for the dismissal of the Deputy Chief Minister Kabvinder Gupta for saying “ Kathua minor rape case is a minor incident” was raised by the National Spokesperson of the main opposition Congress party in Delhi but even then BJP central high command did not bother to clarify its position over the Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gupta’s highly controversial and condemnable remark. Deputy Chief Minister has been so much emboldened by the patronage of his party high command over his controversial remark that he now says “ I will not apologise for the remark I have made. Nothing wrong if any BJP leader demands CBI inquiry into the Kathua rape and murder case”. The concern for the Chief Minister should have been the increasing tendencies of BJP not only on furthering the causes of its agenda of polarization but also over the attacks on muslims in Kathua but she does not show the concern despite seeing BJP offering political patronage to the accused of Kathua minor rape case and the silence of Chief Minister over the stepped up attacks on muslims in Kathua can prove disastrous for the atmosphere of peace and security in Jammu region. By all standards of understandabilities the BJP’s central high command does not want to be seen as acknowledging that some of its members actively, and unacceptably, polarised a gruesome crime along religious lines. Ahead of 2019 parliamentary election Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has to ensure that BJP leaders stop conducting themselves like the adversaries more so on the Kathua rape and murder case as otherwise the very idea of bringing Jammu closer to Kashmir proposed in the “ agenda of alliance” is lost.

(The author is Editor In Chief of English Daily “Kashmir Horizon”)