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June 26, 2008

Clashes Grip Indian Kashmir Over Allotment of Land to Hindu Trust 
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Protesters accuse government of trying to change demography of
Muslim-majority Kashmir by building settlements for Hindus 
Three people have been killed and more than a hundred others injured in
violent clashes that have erupted in Indian Kashmir, surrounding the
controversial transfer of land to a Hindu shrine trust. Anjana Pasricha
has a report from New Delhi on the latest violence gripping the Kashmir
Valley.Kashmiri protesters shout slogans near burning tires set ablaze
as a blockade during a demonstration in Srinagar, India, 26 Jun
2008Security forces lobbed tear gas shells, as thousands of angry
protestors pelted them with stones in Kashmir's Summer capital,
Srinagar, and nearby towns, Thursday. Shops, businesses, schools and
colleges shut down and roads were empty.It was the fourth straight day
that violent protests have gripped the region. The demonstrations
erupted after the state government decided to transfer about 40 hectares
of forest land to a Hindu board that organizes an annual pilgrimage to a
popular Hindu shrine in Kashmir. The land is to be used to erect
pre-fabricated!
  huts to house thousands of Hindu pilgrims who trek to the Amarnath
shrine, located in a high mountain cave. But protesters accuse the
government of trying to change the demography of Muslim-majority Kashmir
by building settlements for Hindus. At least three people have died and
100 others injured in the clashes, so far. The state's chief minister,
Ghulam Nabi Azad, has appealed for peace and has pledged that their will
no construction on the land until the issue is resolved.Azad says he
will convene a meeting of all political parties to give everyone an
opportunity to present their point of view and to build a consensus. But
it may not be easy to find a solution to the contentious issue. The
demonstrations in Kashmir have raised tempers among Hindu groups in
Kashmir's Winter capital, Jammu.A Hindu nationalist group, the Vishwa
Hindu Parishad, shut down Jammu City, Thursday. It has threatened to
block supplies of essential commodities to Srinagar, if the g!
 overnment cancels the land allotment for the pilgrims. The pilgrims ha
ve been demanding better facilities as they either trek or ride ponies
to the Amarnath cave to pray to an ice stalagmite they believe is a
symbol of Hindu god, Shiva.Kashmir was wracked with violence for 15
years, as separatist groups and Islamic militants waged a campaign to
separate the region from mostly Hindu India. However, the region has
been relatively peaceful in recent years.


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