The Redcliff demarcation and then later, Maharaja HariSinh’s annexation of Jammu-Kashmir in Bharat, has remained undigested truth for Pakistan. Governments have come and gone but the Kashmir issue has remained in the forefront, for each government. Rather, it would be more appropriate to spell it that, each government of Pakistan, thrives and wins by enlarging the promise of capturing Kashmir.
Within the state, Sheikh Abdullah’s politics had been nurtured solely on polarizing Kashmiris and blazing hatred towards Bharat and its constitution. The atmosphere of separation from the Bharatiya union was created and fed with help from across the border, in Pakistan.
With the evident support of their masters in Pakistan, the Kashmiri separatists and terrorists continued their violence, demanding freedom. The Kashmir valley was the epic centre for their terror activities but their notorious plan was to enflame Jammu, too.
The disreputable Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) was their guide. With their aid and directions, a reign of terror was let loose by the separatists, in the hilly regions of Udhampur and Doda.
A bus plying on the Sarthal – Kishtwar route was halted in Kishtwar tehsil of Doda district and Sixteen Hindus were shot dead in broad daylight by the masked terrorists, on August 14th 1993. Similar attacks were carried out, in Kulhand and Basantgarh in Udhampur district, assassinating innocent people.
Mufti Mohammad Syed led the coalition government of PDP and Congress and the United Progressive Alliance-led government at the centre did not take any forbidding steps to repress the violence in the Jammu region. On the contrary, Mufti Mohammad Syed adopted a frivolous policy of “Healing Touch”, providing government assistance to the terrorists’ families!!!
The terrorists who surrendered were granted financial assistance as well as job opportunities in public and private sectors. This was a huge humiliation for the lakhs of unemployed and nationalist youth.
The most unrequited, so-called, ‘healing touch’ by the pro-terrorist government policy, squirted terrorism. Easy flow of funds and freebies for criminals initiated ascending terrorist activities.
Such a notification by the existing state government was entirely blasphemy and utterly lewd.
RSS Swayamsevaks resolved to initiate a fight against this policy and all the other political and social organisations with nationalist outlooks, like BJP, ABVP, VHP and Hindu Raksha Samiti launched a United Hindu Awakening campaign. Under this banner, several Hindu leaders initiated a mission to awaken the society, ‘resting’ in slumber and not realising the grave threat presented to the Kashmiri Hindu’s existence. It started with a steely determination to challenge the terrorists and their mentors.
RSS officials and functionaries visited terror-struck areas like Doda, Kishtwar, and Bhadrawah, and inspired the Hindus to put up a brave fight for the sake of saving their dharma (religion) and strengthening the integrity of the motherland. The Bharatiya Janta Party president and the member of parliament from Doda, Prof. Chamanlal Gupta visited the terror-stricken region several times to boost the morale of the people. He encouraged the youth to thwart the anti-national elements.
The BJP organised a fortnight-long (23rd June to July 6th, 1994) ‘Save Doda’ campaign to awaken the slumbered state government and apprise the people of the nation, about the distressed Doda region, the exodus of anxious Hindus, terrorist hideouts in the hilly areas with piles of updated weapons, alarming rise in Pakistan supported terror violence, infiltration of terrorists from across the border and Hindu backlash.
Senior BJP leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Lal Krishna Advani, Rajmata Vijayaraje Sindhia, Dr Murali Manohar Joshi, Sushma Swaraj, Kalyan Singh and Shanta Kumar led the agitation and observed Satyagraha. They appealed to the state government to hand over the Doda region in the hands of the army. Over three lakh people, from across the nation courted arrest to alert the government about the gravity of the issue that was threatening the integrity of the nation.
The agitation by the BJP led the timorous government to act upon it. The army took charge of the Doda region. They were conferred with special powers to tackle terrorism.
The army cantonments were built at Bhadrawah, Ramban and Kishtwar. The Rural Security Committees were set up at the village level.
These measures, nevertheless, uplifted the morale of the people of Doda and thus, minimised the exodus of people but on the other hand failed to nullify the monster of militancy.
The RSS Swayamsevaks have played an exceptionally vital role in keeping the morale of the people high and this support system proved to be a ‘healing touch’ that halted people from migrating but the weak-kneed government at the state and then at the centre (the UPA era), did not yield the optimum results. The approach of appeasement for vote bank politics demoralised the security personnel. They were continually put under the scanner, for any stern action taken by them against the prevailing terror activities.
The courageous people of Jammu, who were largely Hindus, were frustrated and dejected with a highly odious and repugnant attitude of the government. The government was abhorrently busy with providing a ‘healing touch’ to the terrorists but the determined Jammuites, fighting tooth and nail, prevented Jammu from turning into a ‘paradise of militancy’, like the Kashmir valley.
The nationalist Jammuites organised themselves and fought the Pak-sponsored terrorism with grit. Several sane Muslim families, co-operated in the fight against Hindus, against terrorism. The Muslim youth of Jammu assisted the security forces in locating and destroying the terrorists’s hide-outs and networks.
The section of fundamentalists among the Muslim community, in Jammu, was pro-Pakistan but the larger section of Jammu Muslims and several Muslim families in Rajouri, Poonch, and Doda denied providing shelter to the terrorists. They faced the cruellest punishment for this refusal and were killed brutally, too.
But, the role of the state government in Jammu – Kashmir has remained disgustingly questionable. Instead of implementing harsh action against terrorism, the dithering shown by them was completely bizarre.
The terrorism had spread its wings very deeply and every corner of the ‘heaven on earth’ was hugely infected.
In August 1993, seventeen Hindu pilgrims from Kishtwar were travelling to the temple of Sarthal Devi in Doda district. The terrorists mercilessly massacred them.
On January 5th, 1996, Sixteen Hindus were assassinated by the militants, in a village known as Barshala of Doda district. After a week, seven more Hindus were killed by the militants, in Bhadreshwar in Doda district.
In May of 1996, seventeen Hindus were murdered by militants in the broad daylight, in the village of Sumbar in tehsil Ramban.
The situation did not change much even after the Governor’s rule was lifted and the elected government of Dr. Farooq Abdullah was instilled in October 1996.
On March 20th, 1997, in village Sangrampura of Badgam district, in the valley, seven Kashmiri Pandits were killed.
On June 15th, 1997, the Kashmiri Pandit migrant teachers were butchered by a passenger bus, in the town of Gool of Mahore tehsil in the Ramban district of Jammu.
Between the nights of 25/26th January 1998, in the village Bandhama of tehsil Gandharbal in Kashmir valley, twenty-five Kashmiri Pandits were assassinated.
In the same week, nine Muslims, who were not following the diktats of the militants were killed in the village Navapachi of Doda district.
During the intervening nights of 18/19 April 1998, in the erstwhile district of Udhampur (now, Reasi), twenty-seven Hindus were ruthlessly but butchered by slitting their throats with sharp-edged weapons.
In May 1998, eleven Hindu members of the village defence committee were massacred in village Dasa in district Doda. In June 1998, twenty-five Hindus of a marriage party including the bridegroom were killed in Chapneri village of Doda district.
On August 4th, 1998, twenty-one patriotic Muslims were killed in the village of Buflayaz in the Poonch district. In the same month, in Kalaban forest on the boundary of Himachal Pradesh and J&J, thirty-five Hindu labourers were killed
On March 20th, 2000, forty Sikhs in the village Chattising Pura of district Anantnag were killed. Most of the victims belonged to the families of members working in the Intelligence Agencies.
On November 24th, 2002, the most revered temple, Raghunath Mandir, situated in the heart of Jammu City was attacked, killing fourteen civilians and security personnel. Despite all the security arrangements, the temple was yet again attacked for the second time, after a few months. The militants succeeded in the nefarious act of impairing the deity Hanuman.
The governments came and went but the resolution to eradicate the militancy and action towards it remained perfunctory.
The government led by Mufti Mohammad Syed in coalition with the Congress, with Gulam Nabi Azad as the chief minister followed Dr Abdullah’s government, but both governments had a lukewarm approach towards taking the strictest action to curb the militancy and make Kashmir an integral part of the nation.
Within the state, Sheikh Abdullah’s politics had been nurtured solely on polarizing Kashmiris and blazing hatred towards Bharat and its constitution. The atmosphere of separation from the Bharatiya union was created and fed with help from across the border, in Pakistan.
With the evident support of their masters in Pakistan, the Kashmiri separatists and terrorists continued their violence, demanding freedom. The Kashmir valley was the epic centre for their terror activities but their notorious plan was to enflame Jammu, too.
The disreputable Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) was their guide. With their aid and directions, a reign of terror was let loose by the separatists, in the hilly regions of Udhampur and Doda.
A bus plying on the Sarthal – Kishtwar route was halted in Kishtwar tehsil of Doda district and Sixteen Hindus were shot dead in broad daylight by the masked terrorists, on August 14th 1993. Similar attacks were carried out, in Kulhand and Basantgarh in Udhampur district, assassinating innocent people.
Mufti Mohammad Syed led the coalition government of PDP and Congress and the United Progressive Alliance-led government at the centre did not take any forbidding steps to repress the violence in the Jammu region. On the contrary, Mufti Mohammad Syed adopted a frivolous policy of “Healing Touch”, providing government assistance to the terrorists’ families!!!
The terrorists who surrendered were granted financial assistance as well as job opportunities in public and private sectors. This was a huge humiliation for the lakhs of unemployed and nationalist youth.
The most unrequited, so-called, ‘healing touch’ by the pro-terrorist government policy, squirted terrorism. Easy flow of funds and freebies for criminals initiated ascending terrorist activities.
Such a notification by the existing state government was entirely blasphemy and utterly lewd.
RSS Swayamsevaks resolved to initiate a fight against this policy and all the other political and social organisations with nationalist outlooks, like BJP, ABVP, VHP and Hindu Raksha Samiti launched a United Hindu Awakening campaign. Under this banner, several Hindu leaders initiated a mission to awaken the society, ‘resting’ in slumber and not realising the grave threat presented to the Kashmiri Hindu’s existence. It started with a steely determination to challenge the terrorists and their mentors.
RSS officials and functionaries visited terror-struck areas like Doda, Kishtwar, and Bhadrawah, and inspired the Hindus to put up a brave fight for the sake of saving their dharma (religion) and strengthening the integrity of the motherland. The Bharatiya Janta Party president and the member of parliament from Doda, Prof. Chamanlal Gupta visited the terror-stricken region several times to boost the morale of the people. He encouraged the youth to thwart the anti-national elements.
The BJP organised a fortnight-long (23rd June to July 6th, 1994) ‘Save Doda’ campaign to awaken the slumbered state government and apprise the people of the nation, about the distressed Doda region, the exodus of anxious Hindus, terrorist hideouts in the hilly areas with piles of updated weapons, alarming rise in Pakistan supported terror violence, infiltration of terrorists from across the border and Hindu backlash.
Senior BJP leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Lal Krishna Advani, Rajmata Vijayaraje Sindhia, Dr Murali Manohar Joshi, Sushma Swaraj, Kalyan Singh and Shanta Kumar led the agitation and observed Satyagraha. They appealed to the state government to hand over the Doda region in the hands of the army. Over three lakh people, from across the nation courted arrest to alert the government about the gravity of the issue that was threatening the integrity of the nation.
The agitation by the BJP led the timorous government to act upon it. The army took charge of the Doda region. They were conferred with special powers to tackle terrorism.
The army cantonments were built at Bhadrawah, Ramban and Kishtwar. The Rural Security Committees were set up at the village level.
These measures, nevertheless, uplifted the morale of the people of Doda and thus, minimised the exodus of people but on the other hand failed to nullify the monster of militancy.
The RSS Swayamsevaks have played an exceptionally vital role in keeping the morale of the people high and this support system proved to be a ‘healing touch’ that halted people from migrating but the weak-kneed government at the state and then at the centre (the UPA era), did not yield the optimum results. The approach of appeasement for vote bank politics demoralised the security personnel. They were continually put under the scanner, for any stern action taken by them against the prevailing terror activities.
The courageous people of Jammu, who were largely Hindus, were frustrated and dejected with a highly odious and repugnant attitude of the government. The government was abhorrently busy with providing a ‘healing touch’ to the terrorists but the determined Jammuites, fighting tooth and nail, prevented Jammu from turning into a ‘paradise of militancy’, like the Kashmir valley.
The nationalist Jammuites organised themselves and fought the Pak-sponsored terrorism with grit. Several sane Muslim families, co-operated in the fight against Hindus, against terrorism. The Muslim youth of Jammu assisted the security forces in locating and destroying the terrorists’s hide-outs and networks.
The section of fundamentalists among the Muslim community, in Jammu, was pro-Pakistan but the larger section of Jammu Muslims and several Muslim families in Rajouri, Poonch, and Doda denied providing shelter to the terrorists. They faced the cruellest punishment for this refusal and were killed brutally, too.
But, the role of the state government in Jammu – Kashmir has remained disgustingly questionable. Instead of implementing harsh action against terrorism, the dithering shown by them was completely bizarre.
The terrorism had spread its wings very deeply and every corner of the ‘heaven on earth’ was hugely infected.
In August 1993, seventeen Hindu pilgrims from Kishtwar were travelling to the temple of Sarthal Devi in Doda district. The terrorists mercilessly massacred them.
On January 5th, 1996, Sixteen Hindus were assassinated by the militants, in a village known as Barshala of Doda district. After a week, seven more Hindus were killed by the militants, in Bhadreshwar in Doda district.
In May of 1996, seventeen Hindus were murdered by militants in the broad daylight, in the village of Sumbar in tehsil Ramban.
The situation did not change much even after the Governor’s rule was lifted and the elected government of Dr. Farooq Abdullah was instilled in October 1996.
On March 20th, 1997, in village Sangrampura of Badgam district, in the valley, seven Kashmiri Pandits were killed.
On June 15th, 1997, the Kashmiri Pandit migrant teachers were butchered by a passenger bus, in the town of Gool of Mahore tehsil in the Ramban district of Jammu.
Between the nights of 25/26th January 1998, in the village Bandhama of tehsil Gandharbal in Kashmir valley, twenty-five Kashmiri Pandits were assassinated.
In the same week, nine Muslims, who were not following the diktats of the militants were killed in the village Navapachi of Doda district.
During the intervening nights of 18/19 April 1998, in the erstwhile district of Udhampur (now, Reasi), twenty-seven Hindus were ruthlessly but butchered by slitting their throats with sharp-edged weapons.
In May 1998, eleven Hindu members of the village defence committee were massacred in village Dasa in district Doda. In June 1998, twenty-five Hindus of a marriage party including the bridegroom were killed in Chapneri village of Doda district.
On August 4th, 1998, twenty-one patriotic Muslims were killed in the village of Buflayaz in the Poonch district. In the same month, in Kalaban forest on the boundary of Himachal Pradesh and J&J, thirty-five Hindu labourers were killed
On March 20th, 2000, forty Sikhs in the village Chattising Pura of district Anantnag were killed. Most of the victims belonged to the families of members working in the Intelligence Agencies.
On November 24th, 2002, the most revered temple, Raghunath Mandir, situated in the heart of Jammu City was attacked, killing fourteen civilians and security personnel. Despite all the security arrangements, the temple was yet again attacked for the second time, after a few months. The militants succeeded in the nefarious act of impairing the deity Hanuman.
The governments came and went but the resolution to eradicate the militancy and action towards it remained perfunctory.
The government led by Mufti Mohammad Syed in coalition with the Congress, with Gulam Nabi Azad as the chief minister followed Dr Abdullah’s government, but both governments had a lukewarm approach towards taking the strictest action to curb the militancy and make Kashmir an integral part of the nation.
Madhvi Bhuta is the National Executive of BJP Mahila Morcha and a Columnist on various Forums.
