24 Pandits shot dead in Kashmir
-=Shekhar=-
www.deccan.com
Nadimarg, March 24: Heavily armed militants in Army uniform gunned down 24
Kashmiri Pandits, including 11 women and two children, in a pre-dawn strike
on Monday in this hamlet in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir, dealing a
severe blow to the State government's plan to bring back Hindu migrants.
The militants, whose number vary from seven to 25, swooped late on Sunday
night on the village inhabited by 11 Pandit families comprising 52 members,
disarmed police guards manning a picket and asked people to line up for
identification parade in a lawn on the pretext of a search operation.
They then opened indiscriminate fire from automatic weapons killing all the
24 on the spot at around 2.30 am, officials and eyewitnesses said.
One of the survivors Ramesh Koul said the militants claimed they were army
personnel and were looking for ultras.
They went about ransacking houses searching for valuables and cash before
lining up the people, said Koul, who managed to flee to nearby Zainapora
police station for help.
While officials put the number of militants at 25, eyewitnesses said there
were four to seven of them.
Security around the village has been beefed up and a hunt was on to nab the
militants who escaped to nearby jungles. No militant outfit has claimed
responsibility for the killings, 65 km from Srinagar in Shopian area where
Lashker-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen militants are said
to be active.
The policemen offered no resistance as they were overpowered and disarmed by
the militants who took away four self-loading rifles, three .303 rifles, a
carbine and a wireless set before targeting civilians, according to
officials.
Four of the nine policemen posted at the village for the security of the
pandits reported at Zainapora police station on Monday morning while the
rest were missing with no clue about their whereabouts, they said.
However, villagers contradicted the official version saying only five cops
were posted at the picket. Recalling the ordeal, one of the 16 survivors
Chunni Lal, 58, said militants knocked on his door and asked him and his
wife to come out and line up. Lal said after the militants opened fire, he
feigned death and held his breath till they had left. Lal was injured in the
firing.
Another survivor Deep Kumar said last Saturday a delegation from the village
had met the deputy commissioner of Anantnag seeking beefed-up security but
to no avail.
Twelve residents were not in the village at the time of the incident. The
villagers, engaged in fruit business, had gone to the town.
Top administration officials and a number of political leaders have reached
the village. JKPCC chief Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is also the chairman of the
coordination committee of the ruling coalition, was among the first to
arrive.
After meeting the survivors, Azad demanded an inquiry into the killings and
stern action against erring officials.
Senior Hurriyat Conference leader Mohammad Yaseen Malik and Democratic
Freedom Party leader Shabbir Ahmad Shah also visited the village and met the
bereaved families.
The Army has laid a tight cordon around the village and adjoining areas to
nab the culprits but no arrests have been made as yet.
The incident, the first major strike in the valley after Mufti Mohammad
Sayeed came to power in November last year, took place at a time when the
government was trying to persuade Kashmiri pandits to return to the their
homeland.
karmi
their rights don't deserve to live has become a truism, which is
understood by rest of the world with the sole exception of Hindus.
"-=Shekhar=-" <(take_out_the_brackets_its_contents)shek...@rogers.com> wrote in message news:<BQSfa.62851$Dt1....@news02.bloor.is.net.cable.rogers.com>...
Acharya
we have to bring back the rajrshi?
"karmi" <non...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:9b4c6065.0303...@posting.google.com...
Neil Kashmiri - Hindu Sikh
When you talk about "True Ksatriyas" you forget a few things ....
1. Whilst Hindus live on a sentimental platform and do know their true
history they can never provide leadership.
2. On the other hand if a leadership does start the process then the
"secular" scum who know nothing about the real suffering start to scream
about communal politics.
3. Then you have the masses who are waiting to be lead but can not be lead
because the leadership has to compromise their policies because of political
necessity.
What it boils down to is that the people of India have to be willing to give
themselves a chance and vote in a government that has Indian interests at
heart and will not move an inch from uplifting Hindus, Sikhs, Budhists and
Jains.
In Kashmir the fact is that even though Kashmir is a holy land just like the
rest of Bharat the Indian people seem to be happy with Article 370. Why is
it that as natives of Bharat we are held to randsom by the minority? True
Ksatriyas do exist they risk their lives everyday to keep Bharat safe and
protect us from countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh and China, what let's
them down are our leaders.
In a true Vedic society the Ksatriyas would be the leaders, be in the armed
forces, police and judiciary. We do not have a Vedic society instaed we
pride ourselves in adopting western/secular values. In this case you can not
blame the Ksatriyas. It is up to the Indian people to decide what type of a
society they want and if they continue to vote for corrupted leaders, caste
lines, etc... they are getting the fruits of their democratic choices. Not
many people even care to know about the alternative to what we have now let
alone look at our history. Indians are not very educated about their own
values, culture and history.
Having said that I believe positive steps are in place to slowly turn our
society around, such as history being taught as is in schools, a see a more
confident younger Indian, talent abound and there seems to be a stronger
will to succeed. It is important for people to realise that we can not
revert back to the old days when we voted for people for sentimental
reasons. People need have vision and the leaders need to create a vision. I
know the BJP was critised by many for suggesting that Article 370 will be
revisited with the view to getting rid of it, but the secular scumb did not
like this and managed to put a stop to it. The Indian people have to give a
party a clear mandate to carry out their policies not matter what party it
is and take the responsibility for the actions that the party put into place
by standing behind it when difficult decisions are being made.
The situation in Kashmir has been bought about because of the indifference
of the rest of India and my family together with many others have suffered.
It seems like people of India are happy with the status quo and Kashmir is
only in their minds when mass killing, rape, etc.. of Hindus, Sikhs and
Budhist takes place but within a day or two it is all forgotten. This kind
of fleeting sympathy and no action has not resloved the situation people
have to be pro-active and demand better from the leadership, we must take
action before it is too late. It may be Kashmir today, Punjab tomorrow and
before you know it ... it maybe your home tomorrow and there may not be
anyone left to help you.
Acharya <ach...@hawaii.rr.com> wrote in message
news:Wl3ga.25451$9G.67...@twister.socal.rr.com...
Acharya
fighting for it. Those who do not fight to uphold it do not deserve it.
"Neil Kashmiri - Hindu Sikh" <neil_k...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:b5qqu0$f3f$1...@merki.connect.com.au...