Jammu protests unabated; BJP blames targeted killings on Pakistan

Jammu, June 2

Hindu employees, who are posted in Kashmir, today once again held a massive protest near the Press Club in Jammu, demanding their transfer from the Valley.

Such protests across J&K have been going on since May 12, particularly since Tuesday when terrorists killed a schoolteacher, Rajni Bala (36) in Kulgam. On Thursday, Vijay Kumar, manager of Ellaqui Dehati Bank at Areh Mohanpora branch of Kulgam, was shot dead inside his office. On May 12, Rahul Bhat, a clerk, was shot dead in the tehsildar office in Chadoora, Budgam district.

Several among the protesters have refused to return to Kashmir. They said all the Hindu employees must be brought to Jammu from Kashmir. An employee, Ashish Kumar, said, “Killings have become a norm of the day. How can we work in such an environment?”

Panun Kashmir, an group demanding a homeland for Pandits, and Ikk Jutt Jammu, a political party, said, “Further re-organisation of J&K is inevitable. Jammu has to be a separate state and Kashmir divided further into two to create a safe domain for Pandit victims.”

Meanwhile, BJP’s J&K chief Ravinder Raina said the targeted killings were a conspiracy by Pakistan to sabotage peace in the UT. He said the security agencies were neutralising terrorists under the ‘Operation Allout’. “The coward Pakistan and its terrorists will have to pay a heavy price for killings,” he added.

1 held for links with LeT recruiter

• The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad arrested a man in Kishtwar for his alleged links with Lashkar-e-Toiba’s recruiter Junaid Mohammed.
• Junaid was arrested in Pune on May 24 for being in touch with Pak-based LeT terrorists through social media. He is in ATS custody till June 3. pti

Owaisi launches tirade against Centre over terrorism

• AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi launched a tirade against the Central Government over the killings in Kashmir, saying it had not learnt any lesson from the past.
• Asserting that there had been no political outlet in the Valley, he charged the BJP with using Kashmiri Pandits only for politics. Lives should be protected, he said. pti