JAMMU: Reports of Three to four residential houses and one kothar belonging to the minority KP community having been destroyed completely in a massive fire in Martand (Mattan) near sports stadium are heart-breaking, says Former MLC and BJP spokesperson Girdhari Lal Raina. The fire incident was reported in the early hours of Monday, July 29, 2024. Gutting of residential houses that reduced these historic complexes to ashes has further devastated already distraught owners, he added.
This painful fire incident needs to be probed thoroughly, the BJP leader demanded. He stressed that the investigation is not required just because the houses belong to the minority KP community. It is needed to find culprits and identify forces behind them. It is not an ordinary fire incident, he cautioned. It, most probably is a sinister design to discourage the Displaced Community from entertaining dreams of return to the land of their origin.
Ex-MLC recalled that Media reports have indicated over years that several Kashmiri Pandit families in this area have come back or were planning to return back to their own places. These houses which were in dilapidated conditions for years were finally visibly being repaired, renovated and reconstructed. This prospect of the return has manifestly offended forces inimical to peaceful co-existence, he suggested. Expressing his opinion GL Raina said that this fire incident is being seen as a strong rebuttal and potent message to the displaced community volunteering return to their roots.
The administration has a responsibility to quell such impressions if unfounded, the BJP spokesperson stressed. In case these fears are found to be substantiating, administration must bring to justice culprits in case of involvement of such communal, divisive and disruptive elements. The victims must also be compensated adequately to ensure their efforts of reconstruction are not halted, GL Raina demanded.
