Indian PM calls meeting to end Kashmir protests

The government looks to defuse religious riots in Kashmir which were sparked by an ongoing land dispute.

Hundreds of Kashmiris clash with police protesting the killing of a youth during a demonstration in Srinagar on Monday against the alleged assault on Muslims in the Himalayan state's Hindu-majority JaShow more

NEW DELHI // The prime minister of India will hold an emergency meeting with political leaders today to defuse a land row over a Hindu shrine in Kashmir which has sparked some of the state's worst religious riots in two decades. The prime minister Manmohan Singh, whose centre-left Congress party leads India's coalition government, will meet with a host of political parties, including the main Hindu nationalist opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The dispute began after the Kashmir government had promised to give forest land to the trust that runs Amarnath, a cave shrine visited by Hindu pilgrims for a revered stalagmite. Many Muslims were enraged. The government then backed down on its decision. Many Hindus, in turn, were enraged. At least eight people have died and hundreds have been injured in some of the worst disturbances since a Muslim separatist rebellion in Kashmir broke out in 1989.

Congress says it is trying to strike a balance between the two communities, but the BJP has accused the Congress of pandering to anti-Indian "separatist elements". "The government is treating peaceful protesters who are opposing (the) decision of revoking land allotment to Amarnath Shrine Board as terrorists, while separatist forces are being treated as friends," the BJP said in a statement. Hindu leaders in Jammu complain the government is not talking directly to them, and so today's meeting will be a waste of time.

"The decision will neither be binding on us nor will it be acceptable to us," said Leela Karan Sharma, who has been leading the movement to have the land given to the shrine. For the last few weeks, angry protests have pulsed through both Jammu, the region's Hindu-dominated winter capital, and Srinagar, its mostly Muslim summer capital. Hindu protesters in Jammu have lobbed rocks. Police have lobbed back tear gas. This week, at least three protesters were killed.

Hindu protesters also ripped up railway tracks and blocked lorries in the plains around Jammu. As a result, Muslims up in the Kashmir valley are beginning to run short of food, fuel and medical supplies. The supreme court has upheld a ban on mobile text messaging, hoping to end the spread of rumour mongering in Jammu. On Wednesdays, pigeons often outnumbered people in the shuttered streets of Srinagar after a leader of a group calling for Kashmir's independence asked shops, schools and businesses to close.

"There are indications that land would be given back to the shrine board. I appeal to people to observe a complete strike on Wednesday," said Syed Ali Shah Geelani. The army has been sent to enforce curfews in Jammu over the last few days but has occasionally been overwhelmed by crowds of protesters. On Wednesday morning the streets were quiet and shuttered. * Reuters