SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Friday refused to give permission for joint peace march named ‘Saath Do’ of Kashmiri Pandits and Muslims in Srinagar.
It also detained the Delhi-based Pandit Satish Mahaldar, who was the organizer.
He was later released and forced to return to Delhi after signing a bond. Chairman, Reconciliation, Return and Rehabilitation of Kashmiri Migrants, Satish Mahaldar said that he arrived at Srinagar airport from Delhi at around 11 am and before he could move out, he was detained by police.
“For about two hours from 11.30 am, they drove me from one place to another. At 1.30 pm I was taken to Police Station Kothibagh in the city centre,” he said. Satish said he was told by police that he can not take out a rally without government permission.
Satish along with Bollywood singer from Srinagar Adnan Saim Bhat, joined by Pandits and Muslims were going to take out a peace march carrying white flags from Press Club in uptown Srinagar to Safa Kadal area of downtown Srinagar on Friday with an aim to restore trust and confidence between two communities and facilitate return and rehabilitation of migrant Pandits to the Valley.
He termed his detention as a ‘big conspiracy’, and said, “Some groups and agencies don’t want Kashmiri Pandits to return to their roots in Valley.” If allowed, it would have been the first joint peace march by Pandits and Muslims in Valley.