Amarnath land transfer controversy
Encyclopedia
On 26 May 2008, the government of India
and state government
of Jammu and Kashmir
reached an agreement to transfer 99 acre (0.40063914 km²) of forest land to the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) in the main Kashmir valley to set up temporary shelters and facilities for Hindu
pilgrims. This caused a controversy, with demonstrations from the Kashmir valley against the land transfer and protests from the Jammu
region supporting it. The largest demonstration saw more than 500,000 protesters at a single rally, among the largest in Kashmir
's history.
protesting the transfer of forest land. Separatist JKLF (R) organized a march to the controversial land in Baltal. The death of a JKLF(R) activist in a fire opened by the Security Forces became the flash point for protests in the Kashmir valley region. Senior separatist leaders Shabir Ahmad Shah, Syed Ali Shah Geelani
and Mirwaiz Omar Farooq
, leaders of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference
(APHC), which planned the protests, were placed under house arrest. Throughout the Srinagar
area, most public buildings, including schools and government offices, and many businesses, have remained closed.
to Rajouri.
Reports that the SASB was planning to construct dams across the river Indus to generate electricity for the shrine were unconfirmed.
(PDP) said that it would withdraw support to the Indian National Congress
(INC)-led state government if it did not revoke the land transfer agreement.
Though the land transfer was revoked (after the PDP withdrew its support), the crisis deepened further when the PDP didn't lend support to the state government even after the revocation. Meanwhile, the Gulam Nabi Azad's minority government decided to step-down on July 7, 2008.
The protests, however, took a more political tone as state elections are scheduled to be held later in 2008. With elections already due in the state, Omar Abdullah played down the incident and said that PDP's decision to withdraw was not a major constitutional crisis.
, mass protests erupted against the government's decision to revoke the land transfer. The people of the Jammu region generally supported the land transfer, and threatened to shut down the city on 26 June 2008. 20 kilometers away, in Nagrota
, Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) supporters blocked a highway
It has been joined by 35 other organisations, under the banner of Amarnath Shrine Sangharsh Samiti, that have two main demands: that of recalling Governor NN Vohra and the restoration of land to the Shrine Board.
Hindu groups such as the Bajrang Dal
and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) protested in front of Kashmir House in Delhi
in support of the land transfer. The situation in Jammu suddenly deteriorated after Kuldeep Raj committed suicide on July 23 and his body was mishandled and dishonoured by the police. Slowly, protests spread to other parts of Jammu. A curfew was imposed in many districts. Protesters claimed that an economic blockade of the Kashmir Valley was being imposed by stopping traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway. The "economic blockade" theory was however fiercely contested, with the Government of India, the Army, the District Administration, SASB maintaining that there was no blockade. BJP called the blockade "a lie perpetuated by the ISI", of which there was no compelling evidence, and maintained the people of the Valley were being misled with a false propaganda, aiding the designs of separatists. One person was killed and another injured on August 6, 2008 when the Army fired to disperse a violent mob, which blocked the Jammu-Pathankot Highway in Kathua district. Two protesters were killed and eight injured as police opened fire to quell a mob in Samba district on August 1, 2008 Conversely there were also Muslims who, backed by the local Muslim federation and the Muslim Gujjar
community, who supported the demands of the Hindus of Jammu. There were, however, reports of Hindu rioters in Jammu attacking and burning at least 72 Muslim homes during the weeks of violent protests.
Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti convener Leela Karan Sharma said on August 6, 2008 that nothing short of revocation of the land transfer to Amarnath Shrine Board would be acceptable. He opined that the state government was responsible for flaring religious sentiments by allowing construction of the Muslim Jama Masjid at Baltal, yet not allowing a temporary structure for the benefit of Hindu yatris.
spoke to BJP president Rajnath Singh
and sought his party’s help in finding a solution to the issue.
The Gujjar
Muslim community strongly attacked the statement of separatist leaders that Muslims in Jammu do not want to live with Hindus of the region. They described it as "an attempt to drive a wedge between communities bonded with each other by language and culture for centuries".
and National Democratic Alliance
(NDA) and almost every regional party represented in Parliament—underlined that “communalisation of the situation should be prevented at all cost as this would adversely impact on the secular fabric of the nation.”
border,” said president of the association. The Indian government alleges that the claims of an economic blockade were fabricated by the Hurriyat and the Inter-Services Intelligence
to provoke locals into joining the pro-independence protests. The Ex-Indian Home Minister Shivraj Patil
, appealed to the fruit growers to call off their protests. He offered to buy all their fruit and also to pay compensation to those whose fruit has perished.
, said "Providing makeshift and temporary accommodation for yatris and pilgrims all over the country is not a new phenomenon... the authorities spend a lot of money in providing temporary facilities during Kumbh Mela
, Puri
rath yatra
festival". said that it was absurd to suggest all such temporary shelters could be made permanent. Moily said that the Hurriyat factions and other separatist groups had exploited the mood during the turmoil to revive their "diabolic agenda". He said that playing mischief, Hurriyat had spread rumours that the highways from the Valley to the plains had been blocked stopping movement of goods and essential commodities. Making use of this false propaganda, they organised the march to Muzaffarabad to seek market for the fruit, Moily said.
Ignoring the Indian government's curfew orders, People’s Democratic Party and Kashmiri separatist leaders. backed the local fruit growers
to Muzaffarabad
, in violation of march ban orders. Despite intelligence warnings that the LoC march would gather tens of thousands of supporters, the State government and top police officials failed to act immediately and refused to impose a curfew. In the event, small groups of police personnel were left to hold back the marchers.
All Parties Hurriyat Conference
(APHC) leader Sheikh Abdul Aziz
, a moderate separatist, was among those killed on August 11. Police say several of their personnel were injured by stones thrown by those at the protest.
police firing. In Lasjan
, on the outskirts of Srinagar, four were killed after police forces opened fire on a protest led by former government minister Javed Mustafa Mir. Police sources claim that the service weapon of one of Mir's personal security guards "accidentally" went off, injuring 7 Central Reserve Police Force
(CRPF) troopers, and provoking the retaliatory firing that left four protesters dead. However, local villagers claimed that the CRPF forces opened fire on the protesters first, killing two, then opening once more when others went to help the injured, killing two women in the process. Three protesters, including a woman, were killed in firing at Paribal by the Indian Army. The army spokesperson for the 15 Corps said that the protesters were throwing stones at a military picket, and refused to disperse despite repeated appeals. Another protester was reportedly killed in Anantnag
. In Kishawar, communal clashes broke out after Kashmiri Muslims began protesting the death of Sheikh Abdul Aziz. Muslim and Hindu owned homes and businesses were torched, and two protesters, including a 12 year old boy, were killed in the rioting. The burial of Sheikh Aziz, held in the Martyrs Graveyard in Srinagar, passed without incident.
Meanwhile, National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan reviewed the security and political situation in Jammu and Kashmir at a meeting with Governor N.N. Vohra. The government has also pushed Track-II activists into a dialogue process with the separatists even as a four-member panel was scheduled to talk with the Shri Amarnath Sangarsh Samiti.
Governor
-appointed panel. Under the terms of the agreement the shrine board would be making temporary use of 40-hectares of land during the relevant yatra period. The SASB convenor Leela Karan Sharma said: "We have suspended the agitation for the time being [though] not called it off, as some of our demands are yet to be met."
Pakistan On Wednesday August 6, 2008 the Pakistani Senate unanimously passed a resolution
on the matter. The resolution expressed concerns over attacks on Muslims and their properties by Hindus.
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
and state government
State government
A state government is the government of a subnational entity in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, or be subject to the direct control of the federal government...
of Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the...
reached an agreement to transfer 99 acre (0.40063914 km²) of forest land to the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) in the main Kashmir valley to set up temporary shelters and facilities for Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
pilgrims. This caused a controversy, with demonstrations from the Kashmir valley against the land transfer and protests from the Jammu
Jammu
Jammu , also known as Duggar, is one of the three administrative divisions within Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state in India.Jammu city is the largest city in Jammu and the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir...
region supporting it. The largest demonstration saw more than 500,000 protesters at a single rally, among the largest in Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
's history.
Kashmir protests
Six people were killed and 100 injured when police fired into a crowd in SrinagarSrinagar
Srinagar is the summer seasonal capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated in Kashmir Valley and lies on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus. It is one of the largest cities in India not to have a Hindu majority. The city is famous for its gardens, lakes and houseboats...
protesting the transfer of forest land. Separatist JKLF (R) organized a march to the controversial land in Baltal. The death of a JKLF(R) activist in a fire opened by the Security Forces became the flash point for protests in the Kashmir valley region. Senior separatist leaders Shabir Ahmad Shah, Syed Ali Shah Geelani
Syed Ali Shah Geelani
-Early life:Syed Geelani was born in a town called Zoorimunz, Bandipora, in North Kashmir. After his preliminary education in Sopore, he went on to graduate from the Oriental College in Lahore....
and Mirwaiz Omar Farooq
Mirwaiz Omar Farooq
Mirwaiz Molvi Mohammad Umar Farooq is a Kashmiri religious and political leader who is the chairman of the Awami Action Committee and the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, a grassroots coalition of pro-freedom parties in the Indian administered Jammu & Kashmir....
, leaders of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference
All Parties Hurriyat Conference
The All Parties Hurriyat Conference is a political front formed as an alliance of 26 political, social and religious organizations in Kashmir. It was formed achieving the right of self-determination according to United Nations Security Council Resolution 47...
(APHC), which planned the protests, were placed under house arrest. Throughout the Srinagar
Srinagar
Srinagar is the summer seasonal capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated in Kashmir Valley and lies on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus. It is one of the largest cities in India not to have a Hindu majority. The city is famous for its gardens, lakes and houseboats...
area, most public buildings, including schools and government offices, and many businesses, have remained closed.
Environmental concerns
Initial opposition to the land transfer was based on environmental concerns. Some environmentalists argued that the land transfer would hamper the region's delicate ecological balance. However, hundreds of acres of forested land were destroyed for the construction of a road linking PoonchPoonch
Poonch is a town and a municipal committee in Poonch District in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. Based on the Mahābhārata evidence, and the evidence from 7th Chinese traveler Xuanzang, the districts of Poonch along with Rajauri and Abhisara had been under the sway of the Republican Kambojas...
to Rajouri.
Reports that the SASB was planning to construct dams across the river Indus to generate electricity for the shrine were unconfirmed.
Government response
The state government accepted the demands of the protesters from the Kashmir valley region by revoking the land transfer decision on July 1, 2008. Hindu groups in the Jammu region reacted by mounting their own counter-protests against the revocation and called for the cancellation of the revocation decision.Political turmoil
As the Kashmiri protests grew wider and more violent, the People's Democratic PartyJammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party
The Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party is a state political party in Jammu and Kashmir, India. It was founded in 1999 by the former Union Home Minister, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, and captured power in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in October 2002 assembly elections. Since 2004 it has one...
(PDP) said that it would withdraw support to the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
(INC)-led state government if it did not revoke the land transfer agreement.
Though the land transfer was revoked (after the PDP withdrew its support), the crisis deepened further when the PDP didn't lend support to the state government even after the revocation. Meanwhile, the Gulam Nabi Azad's minority government decided to step-down on July 7, 2008.
The protests, however, took a more political tone as state elections are scheduled to be held later in 2008. With elections already due in the state, Omar Abdullah played down the incident and said that PDP's decision to withdraw was not a major constitutional crisis.
Jammu protests
In JammuJammu
Jammu , also known as Duggar, is one of the three administrative divisions within Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state in India.Jammu city is the largest city in Jammu and the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir...
, mass protests erupted against the government's decision to revoke the land transfer. The people of the Jammu region generally supported the land transfer, and threatened to shut down the city on 26 June 2008. 20 kilometers away, in Nagrota
Nagrota
Nagrota is a town located in the Jammu district of Jammu and Kashmir state in India. It is located on National Highway 1A between Jammu city and Udhampur...
, Bharatiya Janata Party
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament...
(BJP) supporters blocked a highway
It has been joined by 35 other organisations, under the banner of Amarnath Shrine Sangharsh Samiti, that have two main demands: that of recalling Governor NN Vohra and the restoration of land to the Shrine Board.
Hindu groups such as the Bajrang Dal
Bajrang Dal
The Bajrang Dal , a hardline and militant Hindu organization in India, is the youth wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and is based on the ideology of Hindutva. Founded on 1 October 1984 in Uttar Pradesh, India, it has since spread throughout India...
and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) protested in front of Kashmir House in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
in support of the land transfer. The situation in Jammu suddenly deteriorated after Kuldeep Raj committed suicide on July 23 and his body was mishandled and dishonoured by the police. Slowly, protests spread to other parts of Jammu. A curfew was imposed in many districts. Protesters claimed that an economic blockade of the Kashmir Valley was being imposed by stopping traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway. The "economic blockade" theory was however fiercely contested, with the Government of India, the Army, the District Administration, SASB maintaining that there was no blockade. BJP called the blockade "a lie perpetuated by the ISI", of which there was no compelling evidence, and maintained the people of the Valley were being misled with a false propaganda, aiding the designs of separatists. One person was killed and another injured on August 6, 2008 when the Army fired to disperse a violent mob, which blocked the Jammu-Pathankot Highway in Kathua district. Two protesters were killed and eight injured as police opened fire to quell a mob in Samba district on August 1, 2008 Conversely there were also Muslims who, backed by the local Muslim federation and the Muslim Gujjar
Gujjar
The Gurjar are an ethnic group in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Alternative spellings include Gurjara, Gujar, Gurjjara and Gūrjara. The spelling Gurjara or Gurjar is preferable to the rest....
community, who supported the demands of the Hindus of Jammu. There were, however, reports of Hindu rioters in Jammu attacking and burning at least 72 Muslim homes during the weeks of violent protests.
Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti convener Leela Karan Sharma said on August 6, 2008 that nothing short of revocation of the land transfer to Amarnath Shrine Board would be acceptable. He opined that the state government was responsible for flaring religious sentiments by allowing construction of the Muslim Jama Masjid at Baltal, yet not allowing a temporary structure for the benefit of Hindu yatris.
Government response
Despite the protests, the state government has not annulled the revocation decision. India moved hundreds of security forces into the region. Indian authorities restored the Amarnath pilgrimage route after a brief disruption. Opposition party BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said on August 2, 2008 that “It seems the Centre only understands the voices of the valley and not of the Jammu region. It is trying to find a solution through force and is not initiating a dialogue”. The prime minister Manmohan SinghManmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh is the 13th and current Prime Minister of India. He is the only Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to return to power after completing a full five-year term. A Sikh, he is the first non-Hindu to occupy the office. Singh is also the 7th Prime Minister belonging to the Indian...
spoke to BJP president Rajnath Singh
Rajnath Singh
Rajnath Singh is a prominent Indian politician and who has served the country in many capacities. He was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, a Cabinet Minister in the NDA regime and became the National President of the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is the single largest Opposition party in India...
and sought his party’s help in finding a solution to the issue.
Regional biases
The protests highlighted the eclipse of secularism in the state of Jammu and Kashmir It also highlighted widespread frustration among both Hindus and Muslims in Jammu with the appeasement of separatists in the Kashmir valley. The separatist-Muslim dominated north west (Kashmir valley), not ready to provide land for Amarnath yatris, succeeded in revoking the land transfer through violent protests. Jammu's Hindu and Muslim nationalists in the south west (Jammu) are equally opposed to the appeasement decision to revoke the land transfer. Thus, a regional divide emerged between Jammu and Kashmir., while eastern Ladakh remains aloof.The Gujjar
Gujjar
The Gurjar are an ethnic group in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Alternative spellings include Gurjara, Gujar, Gurjjara and Gūrjara. The spelling Gurjara or Gurjar is preferable to the rest....
Muslim community strongly attacked the statement of separatist leaders that Muslims in Jammu do not want to live with Hindus of the region. They described it as "an attempt to drive a wedge between communities bonded with each other by language and culture for centuries".
Peace appeal
In a joint appeal for peace and normalcy, as many as 36 political parties—the two main formations United Progressive AllianceUnited Progressive Alliance
The United Progressive Alliance is a ruling coalition of center-left political parties heading the government of India. The coalition is led by the Indian National Congress , which is currently the single largest political party in the Lok Sabha...
and National Democratic Alliance
National Democratic Alliance (India)
The National Democratic Alliance is a centre-right coalition of political parties in India. At the time of its formation in 1998, it was led by the Bharatiya Janata Party and had thirteen constituent parties. Its convenor is Sharad Yadav, and its honorary chairman is former prime minister Atal...
(NDA) and almost every regional party represented in Parliament—underlined that “communalisation of the situation should be prevented at all cost as this would adversely impact on the secular fabric of the nation.”
Fruit grower's protests
Kashmir Fruit Growers Association gave a 24-hour ultimatum to the government failing which they would start agitation for the opening of Muzaffarabad Road for export. “We will export our products to various Indian states via Muzaffarabad and WagahWagah
Wagah is the only road border crossing between Pakistan and India , and lies on the Grand Trunk Road between the cities of Lahore, Pakistan and Amritsar, India. Wagah itself is a village through which the controversial Radcliffe Line was drawn. The village was divided by independence in 1947...
border,” said president of the association. The Indian government alleges that the claims of an economic blockade were fabricated by the Hurriyat and the Inter-Services Intelligence
Inter-Services Intelligence
The Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence , is Pakistan's premier intelligence agency, responsible for providing critical national security intelligence assessment to the Government of Pakistan...
to provoke locals into joining the pro-independence protests. The Ex-Indian Home Minister Shivraj Patil
Shivraj Patil
Shivraj Vishwanath Patil is an Indian politician and current state Punjab governor and the Administrator of Union Territory of Chandigarh. Previously he had been the Speaker of the 11th Lok Sabha and served the Manmohan Singh cabinet as the Union Minister of Home Affairs...
, appealed to the fruit growers to call off their protests. He offered to buy all their fruit and also to pay compensation to those whose fruit has perished.
Party wise stand
Congress Working Committee spokesperson, Veerappa MoilyVeerappa Moily
Moodbidri Veerappa Moily is the current Minister of Corporate Affairs in the Indian government. Moily was elected as MP of the Chickballapur district by a wide margin in 2009. He currently serves as the All India Congress Committee General Secretary in charge of Andhra Pradesh...
, said "Providing makeshift and temporary accommodation for yatris and pilgrims all over the country is not a new phenomenon... the authorities spend a lot of money in providing temporary facilities during Kumbh Mela
Kumbh Mela
Kumbh Mela is a mass Hindu pilgrimage in which Hindus gather at the Ganges river.The normal Kumbh Mela is celebrated every 3 years, the Ardh Kumbh Mela is celebrated every six years at Haridwar and Prayag, the Purna Kumbh takes place every twelve years, at four places Prayag, Haridwar, Ujjain,...
, Puri
Puri
Puri is district headquarter, a city situated about south of state capital Bhubaneswar, on the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal in the Indian state of Orissa. It is also known as Jagannath Puri after the Jagannath Temple . It is a holy city of the Hindus as a part of the Char Dham pilgrimages...
rath yatra
Rath Yatra
Ratha Yatra is a huge Hindu festival associated with Lord Jagannath held at Puri in the state of Orissa, India during the months of June or July. Most of the city's society is based around the worship of Jagannath with the ancient temple being the fulcrum of the area...
festival". said that it was absurd to suggest all such temporary shelters could be made permanent. Moily said that the Hurriyat factions and other separatist groups had exploited the mood during the turmoil to revive their "diabolic agenda". He said that playing mischief, Hurriyat had spread rumours that the highways from the Valley to the plains had been blocked stopping movement of goods and essential commodities. Making use of this false propaganda, they organised the march to Muzaffarabad to seek market for the fruit, Moily said.
Ignoring the Indian government's curfew orders, People’s Democratic Party and Kashmiri separatist leaders. backed the local fruit growers
Government position
Claiming that there is no blockade along the Srinagar-Jammu highway, the ministry said as many as 236 trucks and tankers carrying oil, gas, sheep, medicines and poultry products crossed the Jawahar Tunnel from the Jammu side early on Wednesday morning. Of these, 82 trucks and tankers had reached Srinagar by afternoon, it said. Referring to the stranded trucks in the Valley, an official said a fleet of them actually belonged to one individual close to the Hurriyat. The transporter refused to move his vehicles towards Jammu despite the promise of full security cover along the route. The Kashmiri media, however, reported shortages of food, drugs, and other essential supplies in the Kashmir Valley as a result of the alleged blockade.March to the LOC
On 11 August 2008, 50,000 to 2,50,000 Kashmiri protesters attempted to cross the LoCLOC
LOC, Loc, or LoC may refer to:* Look out circular, a message used by interpol in India to stop wanted people from leaving country* Life Orientation Course - Aviation :* Localizer, a component of an Instrument Landing System...
to Muzaffarabad
Muzaffarabad
Muzaffarabad is the capital of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, Pakistan. It is located in Muzaffarabad District on the banks of the Jhelum and Neelum rivers...
, in violation of march ban orders. Despite intelligence warnings that the LoC march would gather tens of thousands of supporters, the State government and top police officials failed to act immediately and refused to impose a curfew. In the event, small groups of police personnel were left to hold back the marchers.
August 11 violence
Fifteen people were killed and hundreds more injured when police and paramilitary forces opened fire on protesters attempting to cross the LoC.All Parties Hurriyat Conference
All Parties Hurriyat Conference
The All Parties Hurriyat Conference is a political front formed as an alliance of 26 political, social and religious organizations in Kashmir. It was formed achieving the right of self-determination according to United Nations Security Council Resolution 47...
(APHC) leader Sheikh Abdul Aziz
Sheikh Abdul Aziz
Sheikh Abdul Aziz was chairman of the Jammu Kashmir Peoples League and a prominent member of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, an alliance of Kashmiri pro-freedom groups at the forefront of the political struggle against Indian rule in Indian Administered Kashmir...
, a moderate separatist, was among those killed on August 11. Police say several of their personnel were injured by stones thrown by those at the protest.
August 12 violence
Following the death of the APHC separatist leader Sheikh Abdul Aziz and others during the police firing on August 11, the separatists in Kashmir region organized protests. Fifteen Kashmiri civilians were killed in the firing by Kashmir police and paramilitary forces. More than 100 people were also injured in a twelve separate incidents of police firing across the Kashmir valley region. Six protesters were killed in SrinagarSrinagar
Srinagar is the summer seasonal capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated in Kashmir Valley and lies on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus. It is one of the largest cities in India not to have a Hindu majority. The city is famous for its gardens, lakes and houseboats...
police firing. In Lasjan
Lasjan
Lasjan is a village in Kashmir, India. The Pin Code for this area is 191101.Nearby villages are Lasjan-B , Soitang , Srinagar , Dara , Faqir Gujri and Khimber ....
, on the outskirts of Srinagar, four were killed after police forces opened fire on a protest led by former government minister Javed Mustafa Mir. Police sources claim that the service weapon of one of Mir's personal security guards "accidentally" went off, injuring 7 Central Reserve Police Force
Central Reserve Police Force
The Central Reserve Police Force also known as CRPF is the largest of India's Central Armed Police Forces. It functions under the aegis of Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of India. The CRPF's primary role lies in assisting the State/Union Territories in police operations to maintain...
(CRPF) troopers, and provoking the retaliatory firing that left four protesters dead. However, local villagers claimed that the CRPF forces opened fire on the protesters first, killing two, then opening once more when others went to help the injured, killing two women in the process. Three protesters, including a woman, were killed in firing at Paribal by the Indian Army. The army spokesperson for the 15 Corps said that the protesters were throwing stones at a military picket, and refused to disperse despite repeated appeals. Another protester was reportedly killed in Anantnag
Anantnag
Anantnag , a city and a municipality in Anantnag district in the state of Jammu & Kashmir, India. Anantnag is regarded as the commercial and financial capital of the valley of Kashmir...
. In Kishawar, communal clashes broke out after Kashmiri Muslims began protesting the death of Sheikh Abdul Aziz. Muslim and Hindu owned homes and businesses were torched, and two protesters, including a 12 year old boy, were killed in the rioting. The burial of Sheikh Aziz, held in the Martyrs Graveyard in Srinagar, passed without incident.
August 14 Jammu death
A Jammu a man who has taken loan from many banks swallowed poison at the site of a chain hunger strike called against the state government's cancellation of land transfer to SASB. and was sown as if he has taken poison as for the sake of amarnath shrine board.August 20 protests in Jammu and Kashmir
The peaceful demonstrations in this otherwise bustling Jammu city was in stark contrast to the high decibel protests in Srinagar. While in Jammu, women walked silently with candles in their hands demanding restoration of forestland to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), in Srinagar, they joined their protesting men against perceived injustices. Shri Aamarnath Yatra Sangarsh Samiti spearheading the agitation in Jammu , called for civil disobedience On the third and final day of the "Jail Bharo Andolan" of Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti (SAYSS), over 2,00,000 protesters, including thousands of children, courted arrest in the Jammu region on August 20, 2008 .In the violent protests and clashes between the protesters and security forces, which continued till late evening, one person was killed while over 60 people, including 6 police personnel, sustained injuries.Meanwhile, National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan reviewed the security and political situation in Jammu and Kashmir at a meeting with Governor N.N. Vohra. The government has also pushed Track-II activists into a dialogue process with the separatists even as a four-member panel was scheduled to talk with the Shri Amarnath Sangarsh Samiti.
End to SASB agitation
On August 31, 2008, the 61-day old agitation in the Jammu region over the Amarnath land row ended following the signing of an agreement between the group leading the agitation and the Jammu and KashmirJammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the...
Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
-appointed panel. Under the terms of the agreement the shrine board would be making temporary use of 40-hectares of land during the relevant yatra period. The SASB convenor Leela Karan Sharma said: "We have suspended the agitation for the time being [though] not called it off, as some of our demands are yet to be met."
Domestic
- Analysts have said that the environmental and political furor in the region is baseless as the government has not allotted land to SASB, nor has land been demarcated for this purpose.
- Government agencies also claimed that the land being considered for the transfer to SASB was barren and inhospitable and the political agenda of the groups opposing the land transfer was obvious.
- News agencies such as Times of India claimed that PDP's stance on the land transfer issue is a "political gimmick" as the current Forest Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Qazi Afzal, and his predecessor are both from PDP and the proposal to transfer the land to SASB was examined by the state's forest department, law ministry and Supreme Court of IndiaSupreme Court of IndiaThe Supreme Court of India is the highest judicial forum and final court of appeal as established by Part V, Chapter IV of the Constitution of India...
before being approved.
- Awami National Conference, alleged that political parties in Jammu and Kashmir were using the issue to divide the state on communal lines so as to gain political mileage.
- Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister remarked that "things were blown out of proportion" and "the parties are playing politics over the Amarnath land row".
- Omar AbdullahOmar AbdullahOmar Abdullah , born 10 March 1970 in United Kingdom, is an Indian Kashmiri politician and the scion of Kashmir's 'first family', the Abdullah family who became the 11th and the youngest Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir after forming a government in coalition with the Congress party, on...
, Jammu and Kashmir National Conference leader, accused the PDP of hypocrisy over the issue as PDP's minister was a part of the government that took the decision to transfer land to SASB. He also described the protests in the Kashmir region as "Kashmiri nationalism" and added that "[Kashmiri] people aren't against the Amarnath Yatra -- they are only protesting against the land transfer which is pure nationalism" he also added "India calls itself the world's largest functioning democracy. But if we are really a democracy, can't we let people express their dissent?" .
International
Pakistan On Wednesday August 6, 2008 the Pakistani Senate unanimously passed a resolutionResolution (law)
A resolution is a written motion adopted by a deliberative body. The substance of the resolution can be anything that can normally be proposed as a motion. For long or important motions, though, it is often better to have them written out so that discussion is easier or so that it can be...
on the matter. The resolution expressed concerns over attacks on Muslims and their properties by Hindus.
- In response the Indian Foreign Ministry said, "We have seen reports in the Pakistani media that the Senate of Pakistan has passed a resolution about the situation in J & K. Such a resolution amounts to gross interference in our internal affairs. The Senate should attend to issues where it has a locus standi."