Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industry Friday condemned the vandalism and attacks on Kashmiris and a particular community in Jammu, terming it a blot on the face of Jammu.
“Those youth who resorted to vandalism by torching vehicles of a particular community and made our peaceful bandh an act of Hindu-Muslim contention have shamed entire Jammu province,” JCCI president Rakesh Gupta told journalists here.
Gupta also slammed the divisional, district administration and Jammu and Kashmir Police for the “administrative lapse.”
He said, “There were apprehensions about communal flare-up on Thursday night. The administration didn’t ensure adequate deployment of forces in the sensitive locations of the city. Had administration taken proper security measures, the Jammu district would not have been shamed today.”
“On Thursday, we had given a bandh call for Friday. We are not extending the bandh anymore,” he said.
He also took a dig at “some political parties trying to reap political mileage out of the killing of soldiers.”
“But let me tell such leaders that we wouldn’t let them succeed,” he said, adding, “People of Jammu have seen worst agitations in the past and have foiled various political conspiracies hatched to vitiate peace in this region.”
“We’d given the call for a peaceful bandh to protest against Pakistan over the killing of 49 soldiers, but the way the issue was given a communal angle is distressing,” Gupta said.
Asked if he saw any particular party behind the vandalism, Gupta said, “This is the responsibility of divisional administration to identify the culprits and put them behind the bars.”
Gupta also asked the Modi government to find a solution to the Kashmir issue through dialogue.
Shuja Zafar, president Jammu Muslim Front (JMF), blamed Pakistan for the killing of 49 soldiers and claimed that bloodshed was no solution to any problem.
Prominent advocate and activist Sheikh Shakeel also paid tributes to the soldiers.
Shakeel made it clear that Jammu Muslims would not let any political party to play politics over the killings by targeting members of minority community.
“Since Lok Sabha elections are approaching, some parties are out to create communal tensions in Jammu, but we’ve seen worst agitations, including 2008 Amarnath agitation and never let anyone succeed in creating wedge between the peaceful Hindus and Muslims of Jammu,” Shakeel said.
He also appealed the Governor’s administration to fix responsibility over the torching of vehicles of a particular community and vandalism in the city.
Shujat Ali Khan, general secretary Anjuman-e-Imamia, appreciated Rakesh Gupta for admitting that the vandalism has shamed the Jammu region.