Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, July 10: Three families of migrant employees have abandoned the Haal transit camp late last night and migrated to Zeashta Devi shrine in Srinagar after they were scared by the mob attack on the camp during last two days following the killing of dreaded terrorist of Hizbul Mujahideen, Burhan Wani and his two accomplices in an encounter with security forces in Kokernag area of Kashmir valley on July 8.
The panic gripped the entire migrant camp at Haal, Pulwma during the night of July 8 when a frenzied mob protesting against the killing of dreaded terrorist attacked the camp with stones, broke window panes of buildings and private vehicles of the employees putting up there.
The migrant employees in the camp are so scared that they have been demanding their eviction to safer places. However, to restore the confidence of the employees, the authorities have deployed the Army in the camp from this evening and also made arrangements for the ration, medicines etc for camp inmates.
Highly placed sources in Government told Excelsior that Army has been deployed around the camp to provide security to camp inmates there. Besides, all arrangements for their ration, medicines etc have been made.
However, sources ruled out eviction of employees from the camp saying this would give a wrong signal but maintained that Government will ensure fool proof security to all the transit camps.
Meanwhile, three families who have taken shelter at Zeashta Devi Shrine told their horrible tale to this reporter. “We feel totally scared after a big crowd assembled at the camp and pelted stones”, said Sunil Ji, a teacher and a member among these three families.
He said the tampers of the mob were so high that they diverted a local stream via the camp to submerge it in the water and panic gripped among the camp inmates there. Later the mob tried to enter the camp premises and the guards of JKP manning the camp were forced to fire in the air to quell them. However, still they tried to attack again but had to leave due to a heavy down pour later, he added.
Sunil said the migrant employees were so scared that they dialed the PM Office New Delhi, Deputy C M’s Office at Srinagar and Head Quarters of Rashtriya Rifles in Pulwama. “We were given assurances from every side that full protection will be given but not a single security man has reached the camp during last three days while the mob attacked the camp yesterday as well as today too.
“We had no alternative but to leave the camp as one pregnant lady employee who had a delivery date on July 12 would have died due to lack of medicare facilities in the camp”, said a lady employee. “So we took a grave risk and left the camp during the mid night to get her admitted in hospital at Srinagar”, she added.
She pleaded for the security of other camp inmates whose number, she said, is 90. She said two more pregnant employees as well as some diabetic patients are putting up in the camp and they have no medicare arrangements there.
Not only the migrant camp of Haal in Pulwama was attacked by the agitating mob, migrant camps at Mattan and Vessu in South Kashmir district of Anantnag were also attacked by the protestors who pelted stones on quarters as well as the vehicles. The employees putting up in these camps felt totally scared and have demanded proper security for them.
Meanwhile, Panun Kashmir and other KP organizations including Prohit Sabha Martand have urged Government to ensure proper security of Kashmiri Pandits putting up in Valley as well as migrant employees in transit camps and the religious places of Hindus in Kashmir.
Panun Kashmir convener Dr Agnishekhar and its chairman Ajay Chrungoo in a joint statement today showed their grave concern for the safety and security of Hindus living in Kashmir in view of the violence which took place after the killing of dreaded Hizbul commander Burhan Wani on July 8.
They said that the fundamentalist upsurge in Kashmir after the killing of dreaded terrorist is fast taking the form of genocidal assault on the Hindus living in Kashmir. Hindus transit camps in Haal, Pulwama, Vessu and Mattan in Anantnag, Sheikhpora and other places have been the target of intense stone pelting by the communal mobs.
They said that abandoned Hindu houses have been torched in Haal and other houses have been subjected to stone pelting across Srinagar city. The PK leaders while criticizing the Government said that it is shocking that the Government has been slow and lethargic to respond to such a situation. It urged Government to act and perform its Constitutional duty of protecting the life and property of Hindus in Kashmir.
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