SRINAGAR: Hindus in Indian-administered Kashmir ended two months of demonstrations yesterday after the state government agreed to allow pilgrims temporary use of land near an important Hindu temple, an issue that triggered the worst protests by both Hindus and Muslims in the region in a decade.
Muslim separatists immediately rejected the government’s accord with Hindus and said their protests would continue.
Hindus called off their demonstrations after India’s Jammu-Kashmir state government agreed to allow about 99 acres (40 hectares) of land to be used by Hindu pilgrims for accommodation when hundreds of thousands flock each year to the Amarnath temple in the predominantly Muslim state.
The title of the land will remain with the state government, said S.S. Bloeria, a government negotiator. The crisis began in June when Muslims launched protests over the government’s plan to transfer ownership of the land to the Hindu temple. The proposal was quickly scrapped, prompting protests by Hindus.
“We have suspended our agitation,” said Leela Karan Sharma, a leader of the Shri Amarnath Sangharsh Samiti, a group that spearheaded the Hindu protests, after signing the agreement with state government officials. The land near the temple will be set aside for exclusive use by Hindu pilgrims. Authorities at the shrine will be allowed to build facilities to house Hindus during the annual pilgrimage that lasts up to three months, Karan said.
Hindus danced jubilantly in the streets of Jammu, a Hindu-majority city, after the decision was announced. Authorities imposed a curfew in Jammu and other Hindu-majority areas, apparently to prevent any Hindu-Muslim clashes in response to the government’s move.
Farooq Abudllah, a leader of the pro-India National Conference, welcomed the agreement. “The people of Jammu and Kashmir will live together in happiness,” he said.
However, protests continued in Muslim-majority areas of the state as authorities relaxed an indefinite curfew there for six hours yesterday. Thousands of people took to the streets in Srinagar, chanting “We want freedom.”
Mehbooba Mufti, leader of the People’s Democratic Party, which until recently was part of the state’s ruling coalition, criticized the government for not consulting separatist leaders and other Kashmiri representatives before reaching the agreement with Hindu leaders. The accord could have dangerous consequences because it “is a move to disrespect popular sentiment in Kashmir,” she said.
