The narrow lanes in the Muslim-dominated Talab Khatikan locality are dotted with groups of people. The shops are closed, in support of the bandh called by the Amarnath Sangarsh Samiti.

“We are Jammuites. We have lived together for centuries, bowing our heads in the same Peerbaba dargahs as our Hindu brethren. I will live here and die here. This is my birthplace and I will go to any length to support the aspirations of my people,” says Bashir Ahmed, a resident of Gujjar Nagar.

While there is a semblance of outward calm, fear is writ large on their faces. “We have inputs that many right wing activists have sneaked into the state to instigate communal violence here,” says Jameel Banihali, a resident of Khatikan Talab.

And unlike elsewhere in the city, nobody is defying curfew here. “Though we feel assured that there will be no communal violence here, we generally do not move out because of the high passions and violent protests,” says Ghulam Rasool of Dalpatiyan Mohalla.

Some Muslims who originally hail from Bhaderwah, Kishtwar, Doda, Poonch, Rajouri and other parts of Jammu, have sent their families back to their ancestral houses. The community leaders too fear that some elements are trying to give a communal tinge to the agitation.

“We want to make it clear that Hindus in Jammu have not targeted Muslims, but there have been some stray incidents in Khour, Jourian and other areas in which Gujjars have been thrashed and their kullas burnt. These stray incidents are the work of some miscreants who have come from outside and want to communalise the agitation,” says Abdul Majid, leader of the All Jammu Muslim Federation (AJMF).

... contd.