Kashmiris in Mass. Protest Transfer of Land Surrounding Hindu Shrine

Responding to a new outbreak of violence in India’s Kashmir region, protestors gathered in Boston’s Copley Square. (photo: IndiaNewEngland.com)

The following excerpt is from IndiaNewEngland.com.

For Mansfield, Mass., resident Lalit Koul, blame for the recent flare-up of violence in the Kashmir region of India between Hindus and the majority Muslim population falls squarely on neighboring Pakistan.

A dispute over 98 acres containing a Hindu shrine has led to new unrest in the region.

As a Kashmiri Indian who was relocated as a child from his homeland after tensions over the disputed region between India and Pakistan escalated, the latest violence is personal for Koul, so much that he assembled a demonstration on Aug. 9 in Boston’s Copley Square to protest Muslim extremism and Pakistan’s purported role in the conflict.

“The land should be returned to the shrine board. It’s an outrage,” said Koul, who is president of the Indo-Kashmir Forum. “What some Kashmiri Muslims are doing right now, well, they are acts of terrorism.”

The recent dispute arose after the Kashmir state government turned over 98 acres of land to a panel that administers a popular Hindu shrine.

The move caused area Muslims, apparently fearful that the transfer was part of an effort to encourage the settlement of more Hindus in the Muslim-majority area, to erupt in protest.

The government quickly reacted by rescinding the transfer, which in turn sparked protests and acts of violence from Hindus, who maintained that Muslims had exaggerated the scope of the land transfer to the detriment of Hindu worshippers. At least 19 people have died in the conflict so far.

The controversy centers around the Amarnath Hindu shrine, located high in the Himalayas of the Kashmir region.

The cave shrine contains a large deposit of ice that Hindus believe is a representation of Shiva. Hindu pilgrims have long flocked to the shrine. But the journey is an arduous climb. According to Koul, it typically takes about four to five days to complete the trek to the cave, which is perched at an altitude of more than 12,000 feet.

Koul said the land transfer took place so shrine administrators could erect temporary shelters at which pilgrims could stop to rest during their long trek to the cave. Koul said he believes Muslim residents exaggerated the effects of the transfer in an effort to engage Hindus combatively.

“The whole issue has been blown way out of proportion as an excuse for Muslims to attack Hindus,” he said. “The land should be returned to the temple immediately.”

While Hindus make up more than 80 percent of India’s population, Muslims are a majority in the nation’s Kashmir region.

India and Pakistan have fought over the region for years. The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 resulted in a stalemate and a U.N.-ordered ceasefire.

Koul blames Pakistan for supporting terrorism and said he believes the Pakistani government is helping arm militant Muslims in India to attack Hindus. He said that even if current Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf is deposed, he doubts it would have any significant effect on the nation’s policies.

“Unfortunately, these extremists have the support from the majority within the country. It’s ingrained in the culture,” he said.

Pakistan, in turn, blamed Hindu “extremist elements” for blockading certain Muslim areas and preventing goods from being traded, resulting in a humanitarian crisis. “Reportedly, the movement of trucks to and from the [Kashmir] Valley is being blocked. This has serious humanitarian implications,” said Mohammed Sahiq, Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesman.

Pakistan called for “immediate steps” to address the situation and "prevent human rights violations" in the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir.

Koul recently visited the area of Kashmir he hails from, but he said the surroundings felt unfamiliar after years of military strife.

“It will never be the same,” he said. “It’s not home anymore.”