Bunty Mahajan
JAMMU, OCTOBER 8: Amid wide spread protests and anti-Pakistan slogans by various organisations against the targeted killing of minority community members by militants in Kashmir, Deepak Chand who was among two school teachers killed by militants in Srinagar yesterday was on Friday cremated at Shakti Nagar cremation ground here.
The funeral pyre was lit by his elder brother Kamal Mehra who along with his cousins had gone to Srinagar to bring Deepak’s body home. As the body reached home around midnight in a casket, the grieving family members including his mother and wife were inconsolable.
“His only fault was that he had gone there (Kashmir) to impart education to the children of the local Kashmiris,’’ a grieving relative said. Before going to school in the morning, he had called his wife on mobile and told her that he has kept fast on first narvratra and will take the meals after returning to the room in the afternoon, he added.
Deepak’s wife Anuradha and mother Kanta were inconsolable. “The government could not keep its word of ensuring security to her son,’’ the mother said, adding she does not want a job, but her son back.
He had no enemies, said another cousin Vicky Mehra. Even after his killing, someone else continued operating his phone for hours together, he said, asking the authorities why they did not make any effort to track its location. “Were they trying to hide something, or protect someone,’’ he added.
Deepak was not a Kashmiri Pandit, but his family had been living in Kashmir since generations. His family had migrated to Jammu in 1990s.
Meanwhile, normal work in courts remained suspended as lawyers following call by Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association abstained from attending the courts in protest against targeted killing of minorities by militants in Kashmir. The Bar president M K Bhardwaj, a senior advocate, asked the government to take stern action against the killers and provide adequate relief to the grieved family, besides protection to minority communities living there.
The Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industry along with various trader associations of old Jammu City held demonstration against the unabated and innocent killings in Kashmir. Led by Chamber president Arun Gupta, traders assembled at City Chowk raising anti-Pakistan slogans and asked the government to act tough and bring the perpetrators of these killings to justice. They also demanded the UT Lt Governor and Central government to ensure fool proof security of people especially minorities in Kashmir.
Panthers Party, Jammu and Kashmir People’s Movement, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha also held demonstrations at various places in Jammu in protest against the killing of the members of minority communities in the Valley.
The Mehra Sabha held a candle light demonstration, while Jammu Central Mahajan Sabha condemned the targeted killings and asked the Home Ministry to deal with terror with a stern hand. Congress leaders Raman Bhalla and Ravinder Sharma expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation in the Valley and asked the government to take measures on ground instead of resorting to rhetoric.
PDP spokesperson Anil Sethi and Mohit Bhan also sought resignation of UT Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, saying situation has gone out of control of the administration. Sethi said that if administration is unable to control the situation and does not find a way ahead, it shall talk to the political parties who are well aware of the situation on ground and in whose rule militancy was contained in the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir State.
