Is Raj Thackeray aware of this?

Alert reader Naren* brought this snippet of news from the “Sakaal” newspaper in Maharashtra to my attention…It is slightly unsettling.

Titled, “Border areas Kashmiris in Nagpur” (Feb 19 ’09, report by Naresh Dongre), it talks about a large number of migrants from Jammu & Kashmir who have set camp in the city.

Excerpts:

A large number of Kashmiri families living along Pakistan border have set up camps in Nagpur. They have been saying that they have moved to this area because they are scared of terrorists. They have names, addresses and phone numbers of many respectable persons of this area. However, they stubbornly refuse to divulge any information about themselves. Their attitude in this respect has caused suspicion in the minds of  locals.

Pakistani army is always involved in firing across the border from POK to places close to the LOC such as Anantnag, Baramulla, Badgam, Tangmarg and Dras in Indian Kashmir. Besides the terrorists move freely  in these very areas. Hard core Pakistani extremists from Al-Qaeda and Lashkar and other fundamentalist organizations always find shelter in these areas and there are frequent skirmishes with them. Peace loving citizens of these areas have left their homes. With this background, more than 200 men, women and children have have moved in Nagpur since December 27 and have set up 33 tents adjacent to the railway track guard line along Mekosa Baug. They have been saying that they are ‘refugees’ from the above mentioned areas.

…Local citizens have taken pity on their sweet, innocent babies and are giving them rice, lentils, cooking oil, sugar and other provisions. Heads of many voluntary organizations have paid visit to this camp to discuss their needs. However, the information given by these ‘refugees’ is often contradictory, and different stories are passed on to people who try to help them. Initially, these refugees told local citizens that their group comprised of Hindus, Muslims and Christians – all victims of terrorism. Later, they said that the Hindu and Christian refugees had “just left”. They also said that there were numerous orphans in their group. When asked to show “orphans”, they point at one or the other kid, but the one pointed as an ‘orphan’ shows where his mother is! He then is shooed away by some youths.

…Photographers have been refused to photograph their camp. “If you can help with food, do it, but do not take our pictures and do not send them to TV channels or newspapers, That will only bring us bad name. They scrupulously avoid giving their own or their camp-mates names.

Prolonged stay and free movement of these people from the valley of terrorists in this area could be a tremendous threat to the nation.

I wonder if Sh Thackeray is aware of this…and if he is, what steps is he/MNS considering to either re-settle or relocate these refugees?

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* Thanks Naren – also for the painstaking translation.

Jai Hind, Jai Bharat!