J&K tense over land transfer to Amarnath shrine
Nazir Masoodi , Nidhi Razdan
Tuesday, June 24, 2008, (Srinagar)
The escalating controversy in Jammu and Kashmir over the transfer of forestland to the Amarnath shrine board has claimed its first victim.
A man, who was wounded in CRPF firing during protests in Srinagar on Monday, has died.
Over the past few weeks, the fight over the Amarnath shrine issue has descended into an ugly Hindu-Muslim discourse, now leading to violence in the state capital.
And around 50 people, including a dozen policemen, were also injured.
The crisis erupted nearly a month ago when the government gave 100 acres of forestland to the Amarnath board, the body that organises the annual Amarnath yatra.
The land was supposed to be used to build facilities for Amarnath pilgrims. Almost lakhs of pilgrims make the journey every year.
The Governor heads the Amarnath board and the chief minister heads the Waqf board. The controversy has now raised larger questions like whether the state should control any religious body.
Now the state is polarized, as the discourse has become an issue of Kashmiris vs non-Kashmiris and Hindus vs. Muslim.
The Kashmir Valley is boiling with protests against the land deal with separatists like the Hurriyat saying that it's a conspiracy to settle non-local Hindus in the Valley.
Political parties such as opposition National Conference and constituents of the coalition government - the PDP and CPM - are also opposing the transfer.
Environmentalists also say that the project in Baltal and Domail threatens the forests.
But in Jammu, there were also protests supporting the transfer.
BJP workers blocked the highway at Nagrota, 20 km from Jammu. They burnt tyres and torched effigies of PDP leader Mufti Mohammad Sayeed for opposing the transfer of land for Amarnath pilgrims.
"The situation is badly worsening and is unlikely to improve. I don't think it's going to improve," said a resident of Jammu.
But some said that the whole controversy has been created with an eye on the upcoming assembly elections.
"Some people have to contest the polls on Kashmir-centric sentiments, others on Jammu sentiments or for the shrine board. They want to create a communal situation to put J&K on fire," said Yasin Malik, Chairman, J&K Liberation Front.
And as the land transfer controversy has become an occasion for all sides to trade communal allegations, many believe It has more to do with the Kashmiri sub nationalism where every move aimed at the transfer of land to non-state subjects has been opposed.