Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Dec 10: In a unique type of protest, BJP national leader and MP Avinash Roy Khanna and other senior leaders of the Party from the State besides the representatives of West Pak, PoK and other refugees today polished shoes of the people while staging a demonstration in front of Raj Bhawan here to mark world the Human Rights Day. The demonstration was staged by BJP Human Rights Cell J&K and besides the West, Pak, PoK and Chamb refugees, the migrants from Kashmir valley, Doda and other areas of Jammu region participated in it. Raising slogans in support of the demands of the refugees, the protesters accused the successive State Governments of ignoring their plight for over last six decades. Addressing the protestors Mr Khanna said that West Pak refugees have not only been neglected in every sphere of life since 1947 by the successive Governments in the State but they have been deprived of their rights also. Same is the plight of other refugees of the State, he added. He said this is the reason that these refugees have been left with no alternative but to come to streets and start polishing shoes of the people to feed themselves. This is a unique type of protest to highlight their problems, he added. He said it is a pity that after 65 years the Government has filed to settle the West Pak refugees and provide justice to PoK refugees. Every one is aware about the fate of Kashmiri migrants who have been hounded out from the Valley, he added. Mr Khanna said despite holding protest at Jantar Mantar New Delhi last year nothing was done to settle the problems of refugees. He accused the Government of taking wrong advantage of the patience of the West Pak and other refugees. The West Pak refugees have no right to vote, he said and added that local MPs did nothing to highlight their plight. He said depriving the Panchs and Sarpanchs of their democratic rights also tantamount to human rights violation and alleged that those who took stones were provided jobs in Kashmir while those who are peacefully fighting for their rights are being harassed. He said to highlight the plight of refugees a cycle rally will be taken from Jammu to Delhi and appealed the refugees to fight unitedly for their rights. Later Mr Khanna left for Delhi in protest without submitting a memorandum at Raj Bhawan after he received an official message from Governor House to handover the memorandum to a policeman on duty at dharna venue who will later on submit the same in Raj Bhawan. He protested against the behavior of the officials of Raj Bhawan refusing to take memorandum from him and said that Parliament was in session and he will raise the issue there. The plight of refugees were also highlighted by BJP state president Shamsher Singh Manhas, National Executive member Dr Nirmal Singh, MLA Jugal Kishore Sharma, West Pak Refugees leader Lubha Ram Gandhi, Subahs Vaid state convener, BJP HR Cell, Ashok Khajuria of PoK refugees, H L Chatta representative of Kashmiri migrants and others. Meanwhile on the occasion of Human Rights Day a memorandum was submitted to United Nations Observer Group here today by Movement for Justice for Refugees of 1947 from PoK led by J S Sudan its convener. It alleged that the refugees are deliberately deprived of their properties in clear violation of Article 17 (b) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights despite the fact that PoK is an integral part of the state. It further said that various committees have been constituted which stressed on redressal of grievances of the refugees but no action has been taken from the Government till date.
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