JAMMU, Nov 12: Sunil Dimple, President of Mission Statehood Jammu Kashmir, led an anti-Pakistan protest rally, during which protesters burnt Pakistani flags and effigies to condemn the martyrdom of two Special Police Officers (SPOs) and a militant attack on CRPF personnel in Kulgam that reportedly left several jawans critically injured.
Addressing the protesters, Dimple strongly condemned the killing of the two SPOs and alleged that their martyrdom was part of a targeted attempt to create divisions between Hindu and Muslim communities. He expressed solidarity with the bereaved families and said that the people of Jammu and Kashmir stood firmly with the families of the martyred personnel.
Dimple urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to provide compensation of Rs 1 crore to each martyr’s family and allot one petrol pump and gas agency to the families as a means of long-term financial support. He also demanded that all SPOs be promoted to the rank of police constables and that their monthly salaries be enhanced to Rs 35,000. Similar salary enhancement demands were raised for Village Defence Guards (VDGs) and Home Guards.
Referring to the circumstances surrounding the martyrdom of the two SPOs, Dimple said they had gone missing while performing patrolling duties alongside the Army, and their weapons were reportedly snatched. He termed the incident a serious security lapse and called for stronger security arrangements to prevent such attacks.
He also expressed concern over the militant attack on CRPF personnel in Kulgam, alleging that the attackers were wearing pherans while carrying out the assault. He demanded a thorough investigation into the incident and stronger action against militant networks operating in Jammu and Kashmir.
Escalating his criticism of Pakistan, Dimple demanded the resumption of Operation Sindoor and called upon the Centre to take steps towards the liberation of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), Gilgit and Baltistan and their integration with India. He further alleged that Pakistan-based militant leaders Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar continued to remain active and that terrorist training camps and attacks against security forces persisted across the border.
Dimple also demanded the complete scrapping of the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan and appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to give a strong response to Pakistan over its alleged support for terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.
He claimed that terror modules, sleeper cells and militant ground workers continued to operate in the region and urged the Union Government to take decisive action against the terror infrastructure. He also called upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi to announce a war against Pakistan, stating that the country must be taught a lesson for its alleged support to terrorism.
Several senior leaders participated in the protest, including Biloo Pahlwan, Arun Verma, S. Kala Singh, Vijay Virdi, Lohri Shaha, Rajinder Gupta and Babu Kumar, besides others.