Jammu may flare up again after a youth allegedly committed suicide during a token hunger strike by Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti
SRINAGAR: Jammu may flare up again after a youth allegedly committed suicide during a token hunger strike by Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti to protest against the revocation of the order to allot 39.88 hectares of land to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) at Baltal.
Kuldeep Kumar Dogra, a resident of Talab Tillo, Jammu, fainted while reciting a poem at the Parade ground, the venue of the hunger strike. He was rushed to hospital where he was declared dead.
Leela Karan Sharma, convener of the Sangharsh Samiti, said the youth had turned up at the camp on Wednesday afternoon and was “emotionally upset” by National Conference president Omar Abdullah’s speech in the parliament on Tuesday.
“He made a request to recite a patriotic poem, which was granted. While he was reciting, he fainted and fell to the ground. We called an auto rickshaw and took him to a hospital where he was declared dead. I do not know whether he committed suicide by consuming poison,” Sharma said.
Sharma however added that Kumar was upset and was raising slogans against Omar Abdullah for making an “inflammatory speech” in the parliament on the Amarnath land row. “Omar has hurt the sentiments of crores of Hindus by speaking against the Amarnath land deal in the parliament. They can buy land anywhere in the country, but they cannot give a piece of plot to the Amarnath Shrine board,” he said.
Inspector general of police (IGP), Jammu range, Koondaveeti Rajendra Kumar confirmed the youth committed suicide. “His body has been taken to a hospital where the post mortem is underway,” he said. The IGP said the situation was under control in Jammu and there was no reason to panic.
Meanwhile, the National Conference has expressed shock and grief over the demise of Kuldeep Kumar. The NC leaders, led by its provincial president Ajay Sadhotra, have demanded a high-level enquiry into Kumar’s death and grant of exgratia relief of Rs5 lakh to the family of the deceased.
The NC leaders also appealed to the people to maintain calm and “frustrate the evil designs” of forces bent upon exploiting the situation for their petty politica l gains.
h_ishfaq@dnaindia.net
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