Jammu/Srinagar, Apr 22
Several organisations, including Vishav Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bajrang Dal, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI), and the Bar Association of Jammu (BAJ), have called for a complete Jammu Bandh on Wednesday, in protest against the brutal killings of Hindu tourists in the Pahalgam area of Kashmir.
The protest, also supported by business and civil society groups across the region, comes in the wake of a deadly terrorist attack on Tuesday, in which innocent tourists were killed and several others injured. The attack, one of the deadliest in recent years targeting civilians, has sent shockwaves through the region and beyond.
Leaders from VHP, Bajrang Dal, CCI, and BAJ have strongly condemned the attack, describing it as a targeted assault against Hindus. According to senior members of these organisations, the terrorists singled out their victims by first asking their names before opening fire, an act they say clearly points to a religiously motivated attack.
“We will hold a joint protest demonstration in Jammu on Wednesday, along with all other Hindu organisations, to lodge our strong protest against the killing of Hindu tourists in Pahalgam,” said Nirmal Kotwal, President of the Bar Association-Jammu, while speaking to Rising Kashmir.
The leaders of the CCI, VHP, and other organisations emphasised that the attack was not just an assault on innocent lives but an attempt to disrupt the growing tourism in Jammu and Kashmir. “This gruesome attack on tourists from across the country is a desperate attempt by terrorists to undermine the region’s tourism industry,” the group said in a joint statement.
In Kashmir, a complete shutdown has been called on Wednesday to express solidarity with the victims. Leading business and travel trade bodies, including the Chamber of Commerce and Industries Kashmir (CCIK), Jammu and Kashmir Hoteliers Club (JKHC), All Travel Associations, transporters, restaurant owners, and various civil society groups have also joined the call for a Bandh.
Tariq Rashid Ghani, President of CCIK, condemned the attack as a “barbaric act of violence” and emphasised the need for a collective response to such atrocities. “We have called for a Kashmir Bandh on Wednesday in protest against this barbaric attack. We stand in solidarity with the victims and their families,” he said.
