Amarnath land row: Victims’ families await compensation

JAMMU: Keeping to its traditional ritual since the 2008 Amarnath land row to pay obituary to the dead, including Kuldeep Verma, whose death sparked a bigger agitation, the BJP, now in government, is indifferent to looking back to the sacrifices of the Jammu youth.

Vikram Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, July 24

Keeping to its traditional ritual since the 2008 Amarnath land row to pay obituary to the dead, including Kuldeep Verma, whose death sparked a bigger agitation, the BJP, now in government, is indifferent to looking back to the sacrifices of the Jammu youth.

State party president Sat Sharma and secretary (organisation) Ashok Koul attended a low-key ‘tribute ceremony’ at BJP’s old office at Kachhi Chawani on Saturday before hurrying to Kashmir, both presenting the oft-repeated lines in praise of Kuldeep Verma and rounding up the function.

Shilpi Verma, widow of Kuldeep Verma, on his ‘martyrdom day’, asked the government to look back at the sacrifice of children of 13 families during the agitation which had been eluded justice and compensation.

“It is not only for Kuldeep Verma that the right for justice is imperative, but for the 13 families which gave their sons in the agitation required to be taken care of by the party, which it had not done while in the government,” said Shilpi, an executive member of the BJP.

She said for the past eight years, the BJP had been observing the day as ‘Balidan Divas’ and giving statements in honour of the deceased, but never pursued their cases.

“A job to a family member of the deceased will be sufficient, which the BJP, now in the government, can do,” pleaded Shilpi.

BJP speakers, while paying tributes to the ‘martyrs’, said the 2008 agitation was the outburst of anger of the people of Jammu, who were forced to come on the streets and start a massive agitation against the dispensation which provoked them.

They said the historic agitation proved that the people of Jammu could stand united for a cause. However, the mother of one of the victims of the land row came down heavily on the BJP, calling it a party of traitors.

“Riding the success of the Amarnath land row, the party rose to a position from where it got the first chance to be in the government in the state. It got 25 MLAs from Jammu province, but for its present status, it had become a totally Kashmir-centric party while Jammu was ignored in all aspects,” she said.

She refused to accept ‘tributes’ for her dead son, but wanted the BJP to shun its appeasement policy towards Kashmir and look back to Jammu, where it would have to come again ‘begging for votes’.

Thirteen persons in Jammu, Kathua and Samba died in police firing in protests during the 61-day-long agitation due to police firing in 2008.

On May 26, 2008, the Centre and the state government reached an agreement to transfer 99 acres of forest land in Kashmir to the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board to set up temporary shelters and facilities for pilgrims.