NEW DELHI, Jan 30 (1998): Hindu nationalists on Friday demanded the resignation of Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah for failing to prevent the massacre of 23 Hindus in the Himalayan state five days ago.
“Farooq should own full responsibility for the killings and resign,” the United News of India (UNI) quoted nationalist leader Murli Manohar Joshi as saying.
“The chief minister has also failed to stop the influx of terrorists from (Pakistan),” Joshi said.
Moslem separatists, according to Indian officials, stormed a village north of Srinagar, Kashmir’s summer capital, and shot their victims before mutilating their bodies. An eight-year-old boy survived the massacre.
Moslem-majority Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan and has sparked two wars since 1947. Both countries claim the territory.
Indian Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral on Wednesday blamed Pakistan for backing Moslem militants accused of killing the Hindus.
More than 20,000 militants, soliders and civilians have died in Indian-administered Kashmir since the start of a Moslem campaign against New Delhi in 1989.
Some 300,000 Hindus have fled Kashmir during the past nine years.
India accuses Pakistan of arming and training the militants.
Sunday’s attack was branded the bloodiest massacre of Hindus by Moslem guerrillas since 1989. Many of the guerrillas favour independence while some want a merger with Pakistan.
