Srinagar, Mar 23, KNT: An attempt by Kashmiri separatist leaders to stage a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Saturday met with stiff resistance from both the Delhi Police and local citizens, as the leaders were forcibly removed from the venue and barred from staging any demonstration.
The protest was called by the Muthida Majlis Mushawarat (MMM), a conglomerate of separatist organizations, to demand the return of the mortal remains of Afzal Guroo to his family. However, the protest saw a feeble turnout, with no civil society groups from Kashmir or India reportedly joining the call.
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Only a handful of separatist leaders, including Javid Ahmed Mir of JKLF (H), Shabir Ahmed Dar, and Zaffar Akbar Bhat, managed to reach Jantar Mantar. Their presence, however, was short-lived as they were swiftly removed by the police.
Speaking to Kashmir News Trust over phone from New Delhi, Javid Ahmed Mir said, “Though we are not part of MMM, we came here as responsible citizens of Kashmir to peacefully register our protest. But we were harassed not only by police officials but also by local people.”
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Reports suggest that the confrontation at Jantar Mantar was aggravated by the fact that March 23 is commemorated by many in India as the day revolutionary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh was sentenced to death by British colonial authorities in 1931. Some local activists opposed the demonstration on these grounds, reportedly telling the separatists that anti-India protests would not be allowed on a day of national mourning.
“One of the activists told us bluntly that it would be better for our health if we left without wasting their time. We had no choice but to leave,” said a separatist leader who wished not to be named.
Delhi Police have so far not issued any formal statement regarding the dispersal, but eyewitnesses said the situation remained tense for some time before the leaders exited the venue.
The failure of the MMM protest to attract broader participation from civil society has also raised questions about the separatist leadership’s outreach and organizational strength beyond the Valley.
The call to protest was made amid a long-standing demand for the return of Afzal Guroo’s remains, who was executed in 2013 in connection with the 2001 Indian Parliament attack. His burial in Delhi’s Tihar Jail, rather than at his home in Kashmir, remains a sensitive and contentious issue in the region. [KNT]
