BJP nurturing hatred against Sikhs and Muslims, says Dal Khalsa
By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net,
Jammu: The protests triggered by the removal of posters of Sikh leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale by police on Wednesday left one protester killed and over a dozen others injured on Thursday.
To register their protest against the removal of Bhindranwale’s posters, Sikh youth since Thursday morning blocked roads. The protests took place from Rani Bagh to Kulian area of the city. Police Sources said that protesters resorted to stone pelting on the Police personnel who retaliated with tear gas and smoke shells to disperse the protesters.
On face of unabated dissent, security forces had to open fire to quell protesters at Gadigarh, eight kilometres from Jammu city.
In forces’ action, protesters said, one person identified as Jagjeet Singh son of Narvir Singh, resident of Chohalla was killed. Three cops were also injured.
Notably on Wednesday, an angry protester stabbed a police assistant sub-inspector in Satwari area of Jammu city for removing Bhindranwale’s posters.
To contain dissent and prevent further violence, reinforcements of police and paramilitary were rushed to the area.
Meanwhile, a Sikh body, Dal Khalsa has strongly condemned the killings of Jagjeet Singh.
Expressing full solidarity with Jammu Sikhs and offering condolence to the family members of deceased, party leaders Satnam Singh and Kanwar Pal Singh said the BJP has a complete hold on Jammu administration and it is this party who nurtures hatred against Sikhs and Muslims.
“BJP is playing dangerous game and in order to silence the voices of minorities they had given free hand to police and security forces,” Dal Khalsa said in a statement.
“The removing of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale’s posters that led to the outrage was BJP’s design aimed to provoke Sikh youth.”
They said the Jammu police has unleashed a reign of terror on protesting Sikhs and showed their “barbaric face”.
“The police barbarism was a repeat of what they have been doing with the valley to Muslims since decades,” the Sikh body said.
They also called upon the Chief Minister to ensure strict action against the police officers who had taken law into their hands. “All soft talks of Mufti Sahib has fallen flat,” they said.
Meanwhile, strongly condemning the killing of an innocent person of the Sikh community in Jammu, Chairman of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (G), Syed Ali Shah Geelani termed this police action as worst kind of “state terrorism”.
He said that protests happen everywhere in the world and to protest is the right of every person but Jammu & Kashmir is the only unfortunate region of the world where the “protests are silenced with bullets and atrocities”.
While remembering the Golden Temple Massacre on the 31st anniversary of the attack over the Darbar Sahab and Akal Takth (Golden Temple) in which hundreds of innocent Sikhs were brutally killed, Geelani expressed his “sympathy and solidarity” with the Sikh community.
“Minorities in India are treated as second class citizens and their life, property, honour, dignity and even religious places are not safe here,” he added.
Meanwhile, Curfew was imposed in many parts of Jammu on Thursday after the death of Jagjeet Singh.
(With Inputs from Kashmir Life)