By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net,
Srinagar : With rumor mongering in full swing, the violent form of beef protest has knocked the doors of Jammu and Kashmir. Three Kashmiri persons travelling in a truck bound to the valley were intercepted in Udhampur district of Jammu Division on Friday night and attacked with petrol bombs in what has been termed as “fit of rage” over the recovery of carcasses of three cows in the same district a day before.
The incident comes a day after an Independent MLA, Engineer Rashid was beaten up by BJP MLAs in J&K Assembly for hosting beef party in the MLA hostel on Wednesday this week.
Courtesy: OnlyKashmir
Fortunately, the truck driver Rameez Ahmed Bhat, escaped unhurt while his two accomplices Showkat Dar (35), Zahid Rasool Bhat (19), besides a policemen who tried to save the duo received critical burn injuries and are being treated at the Government Medical College, Jammu.
The tension started in Chennani town on Thursday morning over recovery of carcasses of three cows at two places near the Sub-Divisional Magistrate’s office. As the word spread, shopkeepers downed shutters in and a large number of people took to the streets. As the crowd swelled, traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway was blocked. The tension later spread to other areas in the region.
The Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) called shutdown against alleged bovine slaughter on Friday which affected life in three towns in Jammu region.
Police have filed an FIR No 368 under sections 307, 336, 437, 147, 148, 120B and 427 RPC. At least Six persons have been arrested who were involved in the incident after two of the assailants were identified by CCTV footage who later revealed the identity of others.
“CCTV footage helped us nab two persons who were seen throwing combustible substance on a Kashmir-bound truck at Shiv Nagar area of the district. After questioning of two accused, they revealed the identity of four more persons who were involved in the attack on the truck,” deputy commissioner (DC) Udhampur, Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, told news agency PTI.
“All the six accused have been arrested and booked under the section of inciting communal tension in the state including various other sections of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC),” he said.
“We have warned the rumour mongers that strict action would be taken against them and they would be booked under Public Safety Act (PSA), for disrupting the peace, security and creating law and order problem in the state”, he added.
The State Government has come forward assuring that it will bear all costs of medical treatment of the injured persons.
Rameez Ahmed Bhat, the truck driver from Batingo Anantnag in South Kashmir who escaped unhurt spoke to a local news agency and disclosed the grim details about the incident.
“After unloading our apple laden truck (JK03D-1142) in New Delhi, we loaded truck with coal and left for our home. We decided to halt for a night near a place probably called Shivpur in Udhampur. As we went to sleep, a group of people vigorously started knocking the right and left windows of our truck. When we didn’t open up the windows, they started pelting stones on the truck. Suddenly they smashed the front windshield and lobbed a petrol bomb inside the truck. The truck caught fire and in a bid to save our lives, we jumped from the truck,” Rameez told CNS.
The truck driver alleged the assailants of thrashing and sprinkling petrol over two of his accomplices before letting them on fire.
“The goons who were standing at a distance chased Showkat and Zahid while taking advantage of darkness, I hid myself under the truck. The goons armed with lathis and rods caught hold of Showkat and Zahid and started thrashing them mercilessly. They pleaded before them but one of them sprinkled petrol over their clothes and another lit a match stick and put them afire,” he said.
“A single policeman, probably he was on patrol tried to save Showkat and Zahid but goons beat him up as well. After few minutes, few policemen arrived on spot and tried their best to put out the fire. Both suffered severe burn injuries,” he added.
The State Legislative Assembly which was observing its last sitting of the session witnessed pandemonium over the issue. The opposition parities corned the government with one of National Conference legislators criticising the PDP led State government of lacking courage to admit that the accused were from BJP, its ally. He said the BJP is provoking Kashmir and vitiating the atmosphere by resorting to such communal tactics.
Engineer Rashid, the Independent MLA who was thrashed by BJP legislators on Wednesday termed the accused in the case as terrorists and insisted the state government lacks courage to act against them.
Various separatist Leaders and Kashmir based Trade organizations were quick to react over the incident terming it as the part of economic blockade agenda of fascist forces in the State.
In a statement to media, Hurriyat hawk and Senior separatist leader, Syed Ali Geelani termed the incident as terrorism of the communal forces of India.
“The state of Jammu & Kashmir is directly ruled by the fanatic and ill-minded people who openly express their hatred against the Muslims. The communal forces want to repeat the economic blockade or ‘Economic Terrorism’ of 2008 and they are preparing ground for that purpose,” reads the statement.
“The elimination of the entire minorities particularly Muslims in India is the prime agenda of the RSS and its allied parties and this time they have got their favorable government for that work,” Statement added.
The Kashmir traders’ bodies in a meeting held on Saturday asked its Jammu counterparts to come forward and combat disruptive elements in view of murderous attack on three Kashmiris in Udhampur.
“The trade bodies of Kashmir demand from economic social and political representatives of Jammu region to come forward seriously and honestly to combat such disruptive elements or else there can be worse ramifications for everybody,” the statement said.
On the other hand, the ruling party (PDP) Member Parliament, Tariq Hameed Karra while attacking its alliance partner BJP in the state alleged BJP and its allies in Sangh Parivar of polarizing situation in J&K.
“BJP and its allies in Sangh Parivar should understand that choosing J&K as a turf for playing perilous games for electoral gains in Bihar would have disastrous consequences as J&K is a sensitive state and any fresh trouble in the area would have huge diplomatic implications,” he said.
Meanwhile the State Government has assured the house of taking stern action under law against the miscreants involved in the Udhampur attack.