New Delhi: Former Jammu and Kashmir governor Satyapal Malik said the violence that began in Haryana’s Nuh and spread to different parts of the state was not spontaneous. According to him, the attacks in seven to eight different places were well-coordinated with the aim of creating a communal divide.
“The whole country will burn like Manipur if these people are not contained,” he said. “Jats by culture or tradition believe in the Arya Samaj way of life and are not very religious in the traditional sense of the term. Neither are the Muslims of this area very traditional in their outlook. Therefore one has never heard of the two communities clashing in this manner ever since Independence. And these attacks will only increase in the run-up to 2024 as is evident in Manipur,” he said addressing a packed hall at the Constitution Club.
The convention on “national security affairs”, organised by six groups of social activists, also passed two resolutions on the Pulwama and the Balakot attacks.
They demanded the government to make the Pulwama attack report public along with an action-taken report, including a white paper on the lapses and action taken against those involved. They also said a Supreme Court-monitored committee should probe the Pulwama tragedy.
Those assembled also demanded an increase in security at various pilgrim sites. They feared that ahead of the Lok Sabha polls an attack could be carried out on the under-construction Ram Mandir at Ayodhya or any of the other prominent temples in India.
“This could be done by the ruling dispensation to polarise the public and win the elections,” Malik said. An alleged threat by Al-Qaeda that the Ram Mandir would be blown up should be taken seriously, they said.
The gathering was addressed by Members of Parliament, Digvijay Singh, Danish Ali, Kumar Ketkar, John Brittas, and lawyer Prashant Bhushan.
Interestingly, going by the audience’s response to Satyapal Malik’s speech, it was clear that interest in what happened at Pulwama or Balakot has not waned. While in the past, the allegations that the Pulwama attack was done by the Indian establishment were discussed in whispers, now all prominent speakers openly voiced their apprehension that the attack was not from Pakistan.
“After Pulwama, Modi milked the tragedy and told crowds to remember Pulwama when they vote. I tell the crowds once again, remember Pulwama when you vote this time,” said Malik. “There are several unanswered questions. Where did the RDX come from? Why was the route not sanitised or manned by anyone for 10 kilometres either side? Why was the aircraft refused?” he asked.
Contradicting Prashant Bhushan who said there were 11 intelligence reports ahead of the attack, Malik said, “As governor, I used to get three intelligence reports a day, each detailing a terror attack that could happen to me or to the establishment. I was warned by the Army not to travel by road but take a chopper and so on. There was not a single intelligence report that an Army convoy could be attacked,” he said.
Malik said something similar could be planned in 2024. “They could kill a prominent BJP leader or throw a bomb at the Ram Mandir. Why is Ajit Doval (National Security Advisor) frequenting the UAE now a days? He is drumming up support from the rulers there that they should put pressure on the Pakistanis not to retaliate when our troops enter Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. They will stay there for a few days and come back and hope to win the election. People should know what they are up to,” he said.
