Minorities, non-locals have become more vulnerable in Kashmir: Congress

Claiming that Kashmiri Pandits and non-locals have become more vulnerable and unsafe in Kashmir under the central rule, the Congress on Tuesday targeted the BJP and said the security scenario has deteriorated since the abrogation of Article 370 even though the ruling party promised otherwise.

The opposition Congress said the recent spate of targeted attacks have exposed the BJP’s tall claim of normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir.

”Why minorities and others, including Kashmiri Pandits, became more vulnerable and unsafe in Kashmir under the BJP regime, especially post August 5, 2019?”Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma asked.

On August 5, 2019, the Centre abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution, which accorded special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and bifurcated the state into union territories.

Noting that Article 370 was projected to be the root cause of terrorism and separatist activities in Jammu and Kashmir, he asked, ”What happened post abrogation (of Article 370) and why the central government and the union territory administration failed to eliminate terrorism and ensure peace.” Minorities, including Kashmiri Pandits, Jammu employees and outside workers who were not targeted for past several years have now become soft targets of terrorists, he said.

”Surprisingly, in this deteriorating situation, the UT administration has posted several non-reserved category employees belonging to Jammu region to several sensitive areas of Kashmir region, which shows the lack of concern amongst the bureaucracy for the lives of innocent people,” he said.

”People were given to understand that the security scenario and overall law and order situation would be much better under UT and post abrogation of Article 370, but the opposite has happened, which the ruling party must explain,” the Congress leader said.

He said the government should ensure the safety and security of all innocents, including minorities and outside workers, at all costs.