The Aam Aadmi Party organised a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on Sunday against the recent spurt in targeted killings in Kashmir and slammed the BJP-led Union government for the situation. Several AAP workers and leaders, including Delhi Chief Minister Arvin Kejriwal, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Environment Minister Gopal Rai, Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh and other MLAs attended the ‘Jan Aakrosh Rally’ and raised anti-BJP slogans.
Mr. Kejriwal claimed that Kashmiri Pandits were being forced to leave the Valley due to the targeted killings and demanded the Centre put forth an action plan to stop such incidents.
He also hit out at Pakistan, accusing it of supporting terror activities in Kashmir. “I want to tell Pakistan to stop petty tactics. Kashmir will always be part of India,” Mr. Kejriwal said. He said Kashmiri Pandits were being “forced” to leave their homes, a repeat of what happened in the 1990s.
“The BJP can’t handle Kashmir, they only know how to do dirty politics. Please don’t do politics over Kashmir,” The AAP national convener said at the rally.
He also put four demands before the BJP-led Union government.
The Centre should tell the public about its plan to tackle the situation in Kashmir, cancel the bond signed with Kashmiri Pandits that says they cannot work outside Kashmir, fulfil all their demands and provide them security, Mr. Kejriwal said.
The Kashmir Valley has seen eight targeted killings by terror groups, especially Lashkar-e-Taiba, whose victims included non-Muslims, security personnel, an artist and local civilians.
Scores of Kashmiri Pandits, who were employed under a Prime Minister’s package in 2012, have been staging protests threatening mass exodus since the killing of Rahul Bhat, who was shot dead by terrorists on May 12 in the Chadoora area of Budgam district in central Kashmir.
At the AAP rally in Janrat Mantar,MP Sanjay Singh said that in the 1990s a BJP-backed government was in power and now the Narendra Modi government is in power with a full majority when Kashmiri Pandits are being “forced” to leave the Valley.
The Valley has been witness to the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits in the 1990s.
The AAP demanded the Kashmiri Pandits be given adequate security and their voices be heard. The party has been raising the issue of “targeted killings” of Kashmiri Pandits for the past few weeks.
Two persons — a bank employee and a brick kiln labourer — were killed in Kashmir on June 2 while another labourer was injured in two separate incidents.
A woman teacher from the Samba district of the Jammu region was shot dead by terrorists at a school in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district on May 31. On May 18, terrorists had entered a wine shop at Baramulla in North Kashmir and threw a grenade, killing one person from the Jammu region and injuring three others.
Policeman Saifullah Qadri was shot dead outside his residence in Srinagar on May 24 while TV artiste Amreen Bhat was gunned down in Budgam two days later.
Various political parties have attacked the BJP over the Kashmir situation and sought answers from the Union Territory administration over the spurt in targeted killings.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had on Friday said the situation in Kashmir is “extremely worrisome” and appealed to the Centre to ensure security for the people. Before the rally started, Mr. Sisodia tweeted, “This period will be counted as the worst phase in the history of Kashmir. The BJP has completely failed to stop targeted killings and there is an atmosphere of panic and terror in Kashmir.”
