Srinagar: After having failed to create sectarian wedge in restive Kashmir, some mischief mongers are out to divide the people on yet another front. Lately, people are being instigated in the name of “Sher and Bakra”, the yesteryear names of rival factions of political parties.
While “Sher” signified supporter of Sheikh Abdullah's National Conference, “Bakra” connoted supporters of Mirwaiz family and their Awami Action Committee.
Decades ago, before the onset of militancy, Sher and Bakra feuds were a common scene on the political turf of Srinagar, particularly in congested old City, or the Shaher-e-Khaas. “But when we have forgotten such rivalries, some forces seem to be working on its revival just to create distrust,” said some residents of old City.
On Thursday, in an old City locality here, some youth were seen waylaying some elderly people and those driven by exigencies who were riding two- wheelers through the congested locality also the main link for the super- specialty hospital, the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences Soura.
Witnesses said the youth were unduly harassing them, who begged to be allowed passage towards the hospital. Finding the people stranded, some of the locals came out of their houses and inquired who the youth were and why they were “unnecessarily harassing the respected civilians.”
“The reply was shocking. The youth told us they were stopping the Nationalis (the vernacular name of supporters for National Conference),” the locals said.
Interestingly, the area happens to be a stronghold of senior separatist leader Mirwaiz Dr Umar Farooq.
The inhabitants got alert and started inquiring about the whereabouts of the youth resorting to waylaying. “We are ourselves Bakras, so we thought when there was no Sher-Bakra feud for years how come someone was trying to trigger it,” the locals told Kashmir Observer.
Sensing trouble some of the youth fled.
Two of their colleagues, who were caught by the residents, apologized. “We were misguided. Kindly forgive us, we won’t resort to his tactics of divide in people any further,” the witnesses quoted the youth as having said. They were finally released by the inhabitants.
When contacted National Conference leader and provincial president of party’s youth wing, Salman Ali Sagar expressed shock of the development. “This seems to be some deep-rooted conspiracy. It needs to be probed and discussed at highest levels… Actually since the day PDP entered into wedlock with RSS, Nagpur has been running the state affairs and trying to divide the people of Jammu and Kashmir on every front,” Sagar told Kashmir Observer.
Meanwhile given the sensitivity of the issue, the old City residents have appealed the Hurriyat Conference leaders including Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Dr Umar Farooq, and JKLF Chairman Muhammad Yasin Malik to personally look into the matter.
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