Gujjar leaders have expressed their rage against the killing of a man in Samba district and demanded punishment to the accused officials and persons in setting ablaze the hutments and few residential houses this week.Senior Congress leader Taj Mohiuddin has termed the killing of a civilian and burning of the residential hutments of Gujjars in Sarore area in Samba district as “very unfortunate” appealed for Governor’s intervention.The prominent Gujjar leader said that the eviction of Gujjars from the area has created threat among the Muslims in Jammu region.“It is selective eviction of people based on communal lines under the influence of RSS. Though I am not against eviction of people who have encroached forest land, but setting afire the hutments of Gujjars, then firing on them and killing a person is not justified,” the Congress leader told KNS.He said such incidents are “bad for the country” and the Muslims in Jammu “feel threatened by such gruesome incidents”.“I appeal the Governor to interfere and punish the officials who are responsible for it,” he said.General Secretary in the Pradesh Congress Committee and senior Gujjar leader Shahnawaz Choudhary told KNS that the setting fire to the residential houses and hutments and looting of their belonging were “done at the behest of BJP MLA Chander Praksah Ganga”.
“The burning of houses of Gujjars and killing of a man is murder of democracy. It is a deliberate attempt done by the accomplices of BJP MLA Chander Praksah Ganga and a conspiracy to threaten the minorities in Jammu region,” Choudhary told KNS.The Congress leader appealed the Governor for strict action against the administration and dismissal of the police officials who are involved in the “gruesome incident”.Young Gujjar and student leader of Gujjar and Bakarwal Students’ welfare Association, Talib Hussain told KNS that about 24 families were evacuated from the area.“It is a targeted and selective eviction of Muslims in Jammu region. 24 families who have been living at the spot for the past 50 years are being victimized for belonging to a particular religion,” Talib told KNS.He said that the affected families have suffered losses to their belongings and the grass stored for the cattle was set ablaze.A man, Mohammad Yaqoob was killed in police firing in Sarore area in Bari Brahmna locality in Samba district after some miscreants set ablaze Gujjar hutments and some residential houses on Monday. (KNS)