Ex gratia to Burhan’s family causes cracks in Sangh Parivar

Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, December 16

Decision of the state government to sanction ex gratia to the family of Hizbul Mujahideen self-styled commander Burhan Wani has developed cracks in the “unified” Sangh Parivar as various offshoots of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have opposed the “controversial” step of the government and warned of taking to the streets to oppose it.

Following their failure to oppose the decision of the government, BJP ministers are facing severe criticisms of the Sangh Parivar for “meekly” surrendering before the PDP on this highly “controversial” issue. State president of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) Leela Karan Sharma has publicly termed the decision as a brazen attempt on the part of the coalition government to “glorify” terrorists and to encourage anti-India forces in the state. Leaders of the other offshoots of the RSS have vented their anger during an in-house meeting of the Sangh Parivar against BJP ministers for not opposing the decision.

“As a leader of the VHP I am of the opinion that the decision to grant ex gratia to the family of Burhan Wani was taken only to boost morale of those terrorists who have taken up weapons against the Indian state,” Sharma said, adding that the decision amounted to glorifying terrorists and demoralising security forces fighting proxy war in J&K. “Khalid Wani, brother of Burhan Wani, was an over-ground worker (OGW), who was killed by the Army. By announcing ex gratia the state government is trying to make Army men guilty of killing him,” he observed.

When asked why BJP ministers are silent on the issue, Sharma said he was not authorised to speak on behalf of them. “I cannot speak on their behalf but one thing is clear that there is strong anger among people,” he said.

The PDP-BJP government has announced compensation for Burhan Wani’s elder brother Khalid Wani, who was killed by the Army on April 13, 2015, in mysterious circumstances. The Army had claimed that Khalid was an OGW of the Hizbul Mujahideen terror outfit and was killed in an encounter but his family said that he was “tortured to death”.

As BJP ministers in the coalition government have maintained a guarded silence over the decision of their own government, activists of various groups have started protests against compensation to Burhan Wani’s family. The Bajrang Dal, which is one of the offshoots of the Sangh Parivar, has announced to launch an agitation against the decision.

Highly placed sources said the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) — the student wing of the Sangh Parivar — is also thinking of taking to the streets to oppose the decision.