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Kashmir : BJP forces Vinay Katiyar to retract statement

	June 12, 2006

BJP’s senior leader Vinay Katiyar has landed

up in difficulties after making a statement offering a reward to any civilian who killed a terrorist. The Jammu and Kashmir Police have registered a first information report against Katiyar and another BJP leader, former Delhi Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma, for inciting communal passions and making provocative statements. Faced with the adverse reaction, the BJP leadership advised Vinay Katiyar to retract and explain his statements made in Jammu on Thursday, June 8.



“There was no discussion within the party on the basis of which Katiyar and Verma made those statements. They were advised to withdraw them immediately,” a very senior leader said.



Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was also reportedly of the view that such statements were thoroughly irresponsible. On Saturday evening, Katiyar told presspersons in New Delhi that he was “misunderstood.” He only

wanted village self-defence committees

strengthened and did not offer any reward to

civilians. “All communities should fight terrorism

together. There was no intention of violating any

law,” he added.

Several parties in Jammu and Kashmir - the

Congress, the People’s Democratic Party and the

National Conference - have criticised Katiyar and

Verma for attempting to cause further bloodshed.

It was feared that the offer of “reward” for killing

terrorists would be used by some communal outfits

to kill innocent people while claiming that they

caught them indulging in suspicious activities.

Various political parties described Katiyar’s

statement as an attempt to create a civil war kind

of situation in Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP leader

had announced a cash prize of Rs. 1 lakh for

killing one militant as part of the nine-day Save

Doda campaign.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam

Nabi Azad described it as part of a design to

polarise the people on communal lines.

“Nobody can take the law into his or her

own hands when the Army and the paramilitary

forces are there to protect the lives of the civilians.”

He said the BJP should desist from dividing the

people on communal lines.

National Conference president Omar

Abdullah reminded the BJP that more massacres

were witnessed during the previous National

Democratic Alliance regime led by it. “Except

paying lip service, the NDA did nothing to contain

militancy in the state, particularly in Doda,” he

said.

Panthers Party chief Bhim Singh termed the

announcement highly provocative.

The Jammu and Kashmir People’s Union for

Civil Liberties described the announcement as a

move having long term implications in a sensitive

state and asked the people to maintain the

centuries old tradition of communal harmony.

Observers say that the BJP’s bounty for

militant killers has sparked fears of full-scale bloodshed

in the Valley. The militants would now need

fewer excuses to target civilians by terming them

bounty-hunters gunning for them. Vinay Katiyar’s

statement came just a couple of days before the

start of the annual Amarnath pilgrimage which

had a history of repeated terrorist attacks till 2002.

Security officials fear that the attacks could begin

all over again after a three-year lull.

Violence continues

One person was killed and six injured when

security forces opened fire on demonstrators in

Kupwara protesting against desecration of the

Koran and a mosque by soldiers. At least 18

persons, including 10 policemen were injured in

pitched battles between the demonstrators and

policemen. A Defence Ministry spokesman in



Srinagar denied the allegations of sacrilege by the

troops. He said the Kupwara Deputy

Commissioner visited the mosque and found the

allegations baseless.

Troops wiped out a group of eight militants

when they were trying to sneak across the line of

control in Machel sector of Kupwara district on

Monday, June 5. The Army said with this, a major

infiltration bid by separatists from Pakistan

occupied Kashmir had been foiled. The Army

recovered a large quantity of arms and ammunition

from a militant hideout in the higher reaches of

Gurez sector in Baramulla district early last week.



Political pressure would not affect sex scandal

probe : CBI

CBI Director Vijay Shankar assured the

Jammu and Kashmir High Court on June 6 that a

fair, speedy and effective investigation was being

conducted into the Srinagar sex abuse scandal. He

said the agency would not spare the guilty, nor

give in to any kind of pressure including from

political quarters.

Meanwhile, BSF Deputy Inspector General

K.C. Padhi and Deputy Superintendent of Jammu

and Kashmir Police Ashraf Mir have been sent to

jail in connection with the scandal. Padhi was

identified by the teenage victim of the sex scandal

in an identification parade. He had earlier

surrendered to the authorities.

Consultations start on constitution of working

groups

Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has begun

consultations on constitution of five working

groups as decided at the round table on Kashmir

presided over by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

He met People’s Democratic Party founder, Mufti

Mohd. Sayeed, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti

and National Conference Chief Omar Abdullah

last week. Sources said Azad and Sayeed agreed

on giving full representation to genuine political

groups in these groups besides academicians and

experts.

Terror-Trader nexus exposed

A diary recovered from Hizbul Mujahideen

has revealed that huge amounts of money are

being pushed into Jammu and Kashmir to fund

the militants. It hints at a nexus between the

terrorists and traders in explosive materials. The

diary has revealed that Hizbul Mujahideen spent

over Rs. 38 lakh on buying explosives of various

nature. Besides, Rs. 3 crore was used as dole to

keep the cadres of the ultras going in the terrorismhit

state.

The diary was recovered from the hideout of

Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Sohail Faisal who was

in charge of accounts, but was arrested a couple

of months back after information provided by

another arrested militant of the outfit.

The diary has revealed that militants have

bought over 10 tons of explosives during the past

two years in Kashmir valley alone. The explosives,

if used successfully, would have been enough to

blow up almost all the buildings in Srinagar which

has a population of over 10 lakh.

The interesting fact is that payments were

made through intermediaries just before or after

some of the major car bomb attacks in which

civilians and security force personnel were killed.

Hizbul Mujahideen distributes a big amount

to its cadres for carrying out successful acts of

terrorism. The diary reveals that one Imdad Watchi

was given Rs. 1 lakh as reward for carrying out an

IED explosion targeting a vehicle carrying Army

personnel at Arawani in Anantnag district in

December 2004. Nine Army jawans and a civilian

driver were killed in the attack.