BHADARWAH: To lodge their resentment against Union and State Government for encouraging provocative activities of RSS in Chenab Valley and to follow the calendar of Hurriyat Conference on the issue, which has given a shutdown call to show solidarity with the people of Chenab Valley and Pir Panjal, Anjuman Islamia Bhadarwah in consultation with other Muslim organisations of Doda, Gandoh and Kishtwar, observed a complete shutdown here today.
Shops, other business establishments and some private schools of particular community remained closed, however government schools, offices and banks functioned normally and traffic was plied on the roads as usual.
The shutdown call was given by Anjuman Isalamia Bhadarwah, Markazi Seerat Committee Doda, Anjuman Islamia Gandoh, Masjid Committee Thathri and Majlis-e-Shoura Kishtwar simultaneously in protest against State and Central Government which is trying to volatile the peaceful atmosphere of Chenab Valley by supporting the RSS agenda by allowing them to increase their communal activities.
Anjuman Islamia held protest within the premises of Markazi Jamia Masjid Bhadarwah where while addressing the protesters Anjuman Islamia President Pervaiz Ahmed Sheikh alleged that State and Central Government instead of taking action against the provocative activities of RSS is patronising their unlawful activities in Chenab Valley.
“We have observed a complete but peaceful shutdown to follow the calendar of Hurriyat Conference, which has given a shutdown call to show solidarity with the people of Chenab Valley and Pir Panjal. We protested within the premises of Markazi Jamia Masjid to show our solidarity with Kashmiri people whose condition is deteriorating with every passing day and to show our resentment over the increasing activities of RSS which is trying vitiate the peaceful atmosphere of Chenab Valley by organising armed road shows and raising provocative slogans,” said President Anjuman Islamia Bhadarwah Pervaiz Ahmed Sheikh. “The things are going from bad to worst by each passing day and administration is mute spectator to all the instigation of communal forces. We won’t let succeed the nefarious designs of RSS and some communal officers to communalise the situation in Chenab Valley,” he added.
“The recent road shows of armed RSS men at Doda, Kishtwar and Bhadarwah is clearly an attempt to polarise the society and to propagate their communal agenda ,” Sheikh maintained.
Anjuman Islamia demanded that unlawful activities of communal RSS should be immediately banned otherwise it will have worst consequences in near future.
At Kishtwar, all the shops, business establishments, schools, educational institutions remained closed and transport also remained off the road following the Bandh call given by the Majlis-e-Shoora Kishtwar, which is an amalgam of local Imams and traders of Kishtwar.
“We observed complete shutdown to follow the Hurriyat call and to show resentment against the administration and government which booked dozens of people for sedition in Kishtwar and under notorious Public Safety Act (PSA) but remained mute spectator to communal rhetorics of RSS,” said Imam Jamia Masjid Kishtwar, Farooq Ahmed Kicholo.
He also showed his concern for not allowing Friday prayers in Jamia Masjids of Kashmir valley and demanded to bring an end to such siege of Masjids where no Friday prayers were allowed by the government for the last more than three months.
Meanwhile extra columns of police and CRPF forces were deployed at all the sensitive places and near Jamia Masjids of Bhadarwah, Doda, Bhalla, Mzlnai, Thathri, Gandoh and Kishtwar to thwart any untoward incident but protest passed peacefully when the last report came in.