Mob now destroys orchard near Burhan gunfight site

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, July 15

As the Valley continues to remain on edge, a mob destroyed the high-density apple orchard of young entrepreneur Khuram Mir in south Kashmir’sAnantnag district. It was inaugurated by former Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed in September last year.

Spread over 2 hectares, the orchard is located at Bumdoora village in Kokernag area, the village where 22-year-old Hizbul Mujahideen militant commander Burhan Wani was killed along with his two associates.

The apple orchard was axed by the mob yesterday after they set ablaze the house where Wani was killed during a “gunfight” on July 8. After burning the house, the mob, which was on the rampage for at least four hours, axed or uprooted 7,000 dwarf-sized apple trees in the high-density orchard. The mob also set ablaze a tractor, two huts and agriculture equipment on the premises of the orchard, Mir said.

“Our men at the orchard begged them not to do any damage to the trees, but they didn’t listen to anything. I was in New Delhi and was listening over the phone when my men were begging them. It is a huge loss,” said Mir.

A 35-year-old young techno-farmer with the branded concept of Root2Fruit, Mir had scientifically developed his orchard with attractive rows of high-quality apple plants, with each carefully provided with four-wire trellis system, anti-hail net and a drip irrigation and fertigation unit. At the time of the inauguration last year, it was tipped to be the Valley’s first-ever high-density apple orchard

His orchard had started bearing fruit in a brief gestation period of just a little over 15 months.

During the rampage, the mob was reportedly taking names of late Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu and Education Minister Naeem Akthar.

He further said after this unfortunate incident his entire consortium involved in this high-density project is “shattered”.

“We had invested a lot to invite experts from Europe and other countries to Kashmir to advise us on high-density apple orchards,” he said. Mir said he had no idea as to why the orchard was destroyed by the mob.

“People, students and young entrepreneurs would come in hordes to replicate our model. I don’t know who did it and why?” he said.

Abdul Rahim Rather, PDP lawmaker from Kokernag, said the police were not able to reach the area till evening and they avoideda confrontation.

“There are strict restrictions in the area today and the police have registered a case for setting a house ablaze and damaging an orchard in the area,” Rather said.A villager from Kokernag said there were different stories doing the round in the area.

“The day when the police came to the village after which a gunfight broke out, they told local residents that they had come in advance as the Chief Minister was to visit the orchard. That may be the reason for the mob to damage the orchard,” said a resident of Kokernag.