Muslims in Kashmir riot over Hindu settlement proposal

Last week, India’s central government announced a plan to develop new settlements in Kashmir for nearly 200,000 displaced Hindus, known as Pandits, who fled the region after a 1989 rebellion. Muslim-majority Kashmir did not take the news well. Over the weekend, the Himalayan region erupted in protest, with rock-slinging from the rabble and tear gas from law enforcement. At least 20 people were injured in the mayhem, including a photojournalist and eight policemen. Schools and businesses went on strike while paramilitary patrols in riot gear stalked the streets and laid razor wire at major intersections.

Despite dissent, Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh told reporters in New Delhi the government’s decision would not budge.

Kashmiri political leaders say the plan to re-settle Pandits is a conspiracy to divide the region’s population along religious lines. Seven out of 10 Kashmiris practice Islam, with Hindus, Buddhists, and Sikhs as the main minority religions. Christians and Jains combined represent less than 1 percent of Kashmir’s population. A 2012 Times of India report counted 400 Christians living in the Kashmir Valley.

Mohammed Yasin Malik, leader of a political separatist group, compared the proposed townships to Israeli-style settlements, saying India should not be authorized “to turn Kashmir into another Palestine.”

A hotly disputed region caught between nemesis nations, Kashmir has seen its fair share of violence. War between Pakistan and India in 1947 left the region divided between the two. Distrustful of rule by majority-Hindu India, Muslim rebels have revolted for nearly a quarter of a century, demanding either independence or a merger with neighboring Pakistan. More than 68,000 people, primarily civilians, have been killed in uprisings and the subsequent Indian military crackdown.India accuses Pakistan of arming and training the insurgents, a charge Pakistan denies.

In an election last month, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) gained control of the Kashmiri government, a debut for Hindu nationalist rule in the state. According to a recent Reuters report, Kashmir’s separatist groups believe the BJP, India’s leading political party, could be propelling its own agenda with the resettlement plans. Syed Ali Shah Geelanu, political separatist leader, told Reuters reporters: “The issue of Pandits is being used to create a state within the state on the lines of Israel.”

Kashmir’s anti-India sentiment runs deep and religious tensions are high. Political science professor Noor Mohammed Baba of Kashmir University in Srinagar believes the Pandit settlements “will become walls of insecurity and hate.” Fearing divisive backlash, Baba added: “there will be demands from many [of India’s] persecuted minorities such as Christians or Muslims for separate homelands and protected enclaves.”

Interestingly, the Pandits, the group at the epicenter of the brouhaha, remain indifferent to the township plans. Most have spurned previous resettlement efforts, even when offered both jobs and relocation funding. So far, they have refused to return to Kashmir without the assurance of full security measures.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.