Reiterates call for disbanding Village Defence Committees
“Now no more distances exist between Chenab and Kashmir valley”
SRINAGAR: Reiterating his demand for disbanding Village Defense Committees, Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Geelani on Tuesday urged people in Jammu province to protest on Eid against these committees.
The octogenarian leader expressed his deep concern over what he said was “intimidation of the local Muslim population” in Chenab Valley by (Hindu) VDC members.
“The miscreants involved in such incidents are known and there are no doubts that members of Village Defense Committees are involved in these incidents,” he said, according to a local news agency KNS.
Geelani appealed to people in Jammu province to demonstrate and protest on Eid ul Fitr against the “highhandedness” of members of these committees.
The VDCs were created by arming ordinary villagers in remote parts of the state with Hindu population, for protection against militants.
Geelani, however, said they were ‘terrorizing’ the local Muslims and enjoyed patronage of Hindu extremist groups.
“These committees are directly under the influence of Sangh forces and their main aim is to compel local Muslims to vacate and make it an area free from Muslim community.”
Commenting on the role played by local administration, he said that several officers appointed to key positions are affiliated to sectarian ideology, “so they do not listen the Muslims or redress their grievances and instead of providing any relief to effected Muslim community.”
The octogenarian leader said “some sections” were “hell-bent to isolate the Chenab Valley, Poonch and Rajori from their brethren in Valley.”
But he said “now no more distances exist between Chenab and Kashmir valley.”
“People in valley share pain and we stand with them and understand their agonies they face.”
