india

Updated: Feb 18, 2019 23:49 IST

Two former chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir, in a joint statement, urged the Union government on Monday to ensure the safety of Kashmiri people amid continuing reports of attacks and threats in the aftermath of last week’s suicide attack in Pulwama that killed 40 security personnel.

The statement by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti and National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah, underscoring the need for communal harmony, came on a day two Kashmiri students were arrested in Himachal Pradesh and one in Jharkhand for alleged “anti-national” activities.

Police raided the houses of three more people in Jharkhand’s Jamshedpur for allegedly shouting “Pakistan zindabad”.

“Intimidating Kashmiris is aimed at creating a wedge between different communities in India. We should not allow the terror to divide us. By using such incidents to divide us, we fall into the trap of those behind the attack on CRPF [Central Reserve Police Force] soldiers; we are wittingly or unwittingly playing to the tunes of our enemies,” the leaders said in a statement.

The former chief ministers said it was tragic to see educated people spearheading vicious propaganda to paint Kashmiris and terrorists with the same brush.

“The thought behind such attacks is to divide us. Our pain must not fuel such diabolical plans because eventually the axe forgets and the tree remembers,” they said.

Kashmiris in some parts of the country have reported threats and intimidation since Thursday, when a 22-year-old Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militant rammed his explosives-laden car into a CRPF convoy on Thursday afternoon.

In Jammu’s Muslim-dominated Bhatindi area, hundreds of Kashmiris are stranded because of an influx of people attempting to return to Kashmir from other parts of the country. The administration transported 700 people in a convoy to Srinagar on Saturday night, and the rest have appealed to the governor to arrange for their transport. “Kashmiris are coming from all parts of the country,” said Habibullah, a 71-year-old man from Budgam.

Between February 5 and 11, the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, the only all-weather surface link between Kashmir and the rest of the country, remained closed because of heavy snowfall and landslides.

The highway was restored partially on February 12 for stranded vehicles, but was closed again two days later after the suicide bomb attack, triggering clashes and stone pelting in various parts of Jammu.

In the Gujjar Nagar area of Jammu’s walled city on Friday, Kashmiri students staying in a local hotel reported that a mob smashed window panes and tried to barge in and attack the residents, but were thwarted by the owner of the property.

After three days of curfew, the administration on Monday decided to relax the restrictions for three hours in the afternoon. Army personnel continued to patrol the city and police detained 150 people to maintain law and order, and the region was being monitored by army helicopters.

Police in Dehradun registered a case against student leader Shehla Rashid for allegedly promoting enmity between communities for tweeting about Kashmiri women allegedly trapped in a city hostel.

Confirming the case registered against Rashid, senior superintendent of police Nivedita Kukreti said, “It was registered after a local resident named one Devraj lodged a complaint stating that she is spreading rumours about attacks on Kashmiri students and trying to disturb the communal harmony. Following the complaint, a case was registered followed by investigations.”

In Mohali, at least 300 Kashmiri students were camped on their way home from Uttarakhand and Haryana. Some Kashmiri students in the Uttarakhand capital have alleged they were harassed and asked by their landlords to vacate accommodations, fearing attacks on their properties after the strike in Pulwama. “The students told us they wanted to make a halt in Mohali as it was a safer place. We helped them arrange a temporary stay here,” said Jammu and Kashmir Students Organisation president Khwaja Itrat.

Over the past three days, police in various parts of the country have booked people, often for sedition, for allegedly making “anti-India” comments. Bihar police have arrested and charged with sedition at least five people in the last three days for allegedly posting “objectionable remarks” on social media. Police said those arrested on Sunday include a Katihar-resident Mohammad Tausif Alam alias Bashir, Muzaffarpur-resident Mohammad Mazhar Hashmi, Gaya-resident Mohammad Wakil and Samastipur-resident Mohammad Imran. Earlier on Friday, Gopalganj police arrested Mohammad Majhar Hashmi, 22.Police said all those accused had posted “objectionable remarks” and written pro-Pakistan slogans and hailed the suicide bomber.

Assam Police have charged three men with sedition and another with promoting riots for allegedly hailing Pakistan.

In Ledo town of Tinsukia district of upper Assam, Khairul Alam, 18, was arrested for allegedly writing “Pakistan Zindabad” in a Facebook comment. “We have arrested Khairul Alam and two others including Saikul Alam and Riyazul Haq whom we suspect were part of the conspiracy,” said Shiladitya Chetia, superintendent of police (SP), Tinsukia. In Goalpara district of lower Assam, Shahnawar Islam was arrested because he allegedly “appreciated” the suicide bombing. “He wrote ‘well done’ on his social media account,” said SP Sushanta Biswa Sarma.

In Jamshedpur’s Mango locality, police charged a 22-year-old Muslim man with sedition was looking for three more.

“We had arrested Anas Razi on Sunday night on charges of shouting ‘Pakistan’ slogans along with three of his associates after local people caught them and a scuffle ensued. We produced Anas in a court today on sedition charges from where he was sent to judicial custody. Raids are on to nab his three absconding associates who have fled from their houses,” Bishnu Raut, Azadnagar police station officer-in-charge (OC), said.

In neighbouring Himachal Pradesh, two Kashmiri students were arrested in Solan district on Sunday night. Pirzada Tawish Fayaz and Aakib Rasool were arrested, said Himachal Pradesh Police spokesperson Khushhal Sharma, on the basis of a complaint from a local resident who alleged that the duo posted “anti-national” comments on Facebook.

Another Kashmiri student, Tahseen Gul, was arrested on Saturday for allegedly writing “anti-national” remarks on photo sharing app Instagram.

(With inputs from Jammu, Srinagar, Jamshedpur, Guwahati, Patna, Shimla, Chandigarh)