‘We have lost everything’: Kashmiri Pandits’ shops demolished in Jammu, political storm brews

The JDA enactment sparked protests from assorted quarters, with governmental parties including BJP, PDP and Apni Party, arsenic good arsenic respective Kashmiri Pandit organisations, condemning it and demanding the operation of caller shops for the affected members of the displaced community.

Sharing the video clip of the affected radical connected X, erstwhile J&K main curate and PDP main Mehbooba Mufti described the demolition thrust arsenic “another stroke to a assemblage that has endured unimaginable hardships for decades”.

“What began arsenic targeted demolitions of assets of the tribal assemblage has present been extended to Kashmiri Pandits, further deepening their consciousness of alienation and loss,” she said, urging the Omar Abdullah authorities to intervene.

In the video shared by her, an aged antheral is seen sobbing portion saying: “Where volition we go? We person mislaid everything.”

Another asked, “I deliberation my bosom volition halt and I volition collapse. What person they done to us?”

JDA vice president Pankaj Sharma said the affected radical were fixed announcement connected January 20 and that they had subsequently fixed a written undertaking to the JDA that they would vacate the onshore by the extremity of February. However, the JDA could not travel up the substance aft the expiry of the deadline owed to the exemplary codification of behaviour coming successful spot for Lok Sabha polls and past for the Assembly elections, helium said.

Sharma said that astatine the tract successful the Muthi area, determination were 25 kanals of onshore wherever the Kashmiri Pandit migrants were initially settled successful one-room domed-type tenements, and were aboriginal rehabilitated to two-room flats astatine Purkhoo and Jagti. He said that adjacent aft this move, galore had not vacated the archetypal settlements.

The site, Sharma said, had subsequently been identified for the operation of 208 flats for economically weaker sections of society, and arsenic the tendering process for it was besides complete, the onshore had to beryllium handed implicit to the palmy bidder. He besides said earlier carrying retired the demolition, JDA officials called the archetypal allottees to the spot and opened the locks successful their presence. He claimed that lone 1 oregon 2 radical were creating an issue.

Meanwhile, Relief Commissioner Arvind Karwani visited the country to measure the concern and assured the affected families that caller shops would beryllium constructed for them successful the area.

“These shops were connected JDA land. The alleviation organisation has floated tenders for constructing a buying analyzable successful Muthi Camp Phase II. Ten shops volition beryllium constructed soon and allotted to these shopkeepers,” helium said.

After videos of the affected radical sobbing were shared wide connected the Internet, the contented triggered a governmental storm.

J&K Apni Party main Altaf Bukhari said successful a station connected X, “If demolition was necessary, the medication should person archetypal arranged alternatives to support their livelihoods. Such actions are disappointing, particularly nether an elected authorities that is expected to prioritise the payment of its citizens.” He called connected the medication to guarantee justness for the affected store owners.

BJP Spokesperson G L Raina, who visited the tract and met the affected families, termed the demolition “a revenge enactment soon aft the instrumentality of the NC-Congress authorities headed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah”.

“JDA should person provided alternatives to these families. The authorities indispensable halt targeting this hapless community,” helium said.