News
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
India closes IHK border to block Hindu rally
MADHOPUR: Authorities in India on Tuesday blocked all road links between Held Kashmir and neighbouring states to prevent Hindu nationalists from holding a rally in the sensitive region.
The right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had planned to pour young Hindu volunteers into the Muslim-majority region for India’s Republic Day on Wednesday and raise the national flag in Held Kashmir’s main city of Srinagar. Kashmir is home to a long and violent separatist uprising, and Indian officials fear the BJP’s proposed rally could trigger major communal unrest.
A standoff developed on Tuesday in Madhopur on the border between Punjab and Held Kashmir, as police stopped about 3,000 BJP activists from crossing a bridge on their way to Srinagar.
Police detained senior Hindu nationalist politicians, including the leader of the opposition Sushma Swaraj, over the attempt to cross Indian-held Kashmir to hold the rally.
“We will not allow anyone to enter Kashmir today. All borders have been sealed and highways are blocked,” Gareeb Das, a senior police officer stationed in Madhopur town, said. “Multi-teargas launcher vehicles and water cannons have been deployed at all entry points,” he said. afp
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk