North Kashmir Unhappy with food Act, villagers march towards PoK ‘for help’
Hundreds of villagers from different parts of north's Tanghdar area Saturday assembled at Chitrakote on the Line of Control (LoC) to protest against implementation of the National Food Security Act in the state.
The villagers threatened to cross the LoC and march towards Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) “to ask our neighbours for help”, but stopped after senior Army officials intervened.
The protesters raised slogans against the and the PDP for implementing the Act, which they termed “draconian”, in Jammu and Kashmir. Earlier, each ration card could be used by a family to get 35 kg of rice per month. But now, each person is entitled to 5 kg rice a month.
Though protests in Teetwal, which is near the LoC, have been going on for many days, the numbers swelled on Saturday, as thousands gathered and started marching towards the LoC, which is less than 12 km from Tanghdar town.
Additional police and CRPF jawans were sent from Kupwara to Tanghdar. Earlier, the Army’s top commander in Tanghdar had sent an SOS to the civil administration about the proposed march by the people.
Most villagers were stopped near Chamkoot and some at Chitrakote, where additional deputy commissioner, SSP Kupwara and senior Army officials urged them to call off the protest.
“A majority of people living in Tanghdar are landless peasants and this new Act will leave most families in the region without food. So, for the sake of our families, we have no option but to seek help from PoK residents, who are our neighbours,” said Ishfaq Ahmad, a resident of Tanghdar who was among the protesters.
Former assembly member from Karnah, Kaful-u-Rehman, claimed more than 10,000 people marched towards the LoC.
“People couldn’t understand this act earlier, but once the state government started its implementation, villagers realised it will leave them without food,” he said, adding that many protesters are trying to cross the LoC to seek help from the residents of PoK .
Rehman claimed that protests have been going on for the past one week. “If the government does not revoke this Act, things will turn grim,” he added.
Meanwhile, Kupwara Deputy Commissioner Kumar Rajeev Ranjan said, “The villagers didn’t make any attempt to cross the LoC but registered their protests in front of top government officials.”
Tanghdar Sarpanch Mohammed Rafiq Sheikh said the villagers were stopped by the police near Chitrakote, 1 kilometre before the LoC.
“On the intervention of the Army and civil administration, we have deferred our protest. The officials promised that we will be given relief. If the government fails to redress our problems, we will again proceed towards the LoC to seek help from our neighbours, who are living on other side,” Sheikh said.
Sources said soon after the protests started, the Army had closed all gates at the border. Even as the police negotiated with the villagers, the Army alerted its battalion commanders and company commanders about the protest, sources said.
