South African Hindus unite in protest over Kashmir tourist killings

Hindus in South Africa have arranged a series of mass protests in reaction to the killing of 26 tourists in the India-administered part of Kashmir.

The tragic incident happened last week, where gunmen, believed to be members of a terrorist group opened fire on a holiday resort in Pahalgman, a town in the part of Kashmir which is under Indian control.

The organiser of the protests in South Africa, Mervin Govender from Phoenix, north of Durban, said the protests began in Phoenix on Sunday and would continue during lunchtime until the massive one next Sunday, where they will burn an effigy of the leader of the terrorist group to vent their anger.

He said the group’s target was Hindus, and as Hindus in South Africa, they felt they should protest in solidarity with their fellow brothers who were killed in the attack.

It has been reported that most of the victims were Hindu men.

“We started our protests on the streets around here in Phoenix, and we are planning a massive protest in Eastbury grounds in Phoenix where we will burn an effigy of the leader of the group to show our anger,” said Govender.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi cut short a foreign trip to return to Delhi for talks with security chiefs and other officials, where he announced that those responsible for and behind such an act will very soon hear India's response, loud and clear.

In a veiled reference to Pakistan, the Indian government announced that it will not only retaliate against those who have perpetrated this incident, but also those who, sitting behind the scenes, have conspired to commit such acts on the soil of India.

Although India has yet to say who it thinks carried out the killings, after previous attacks, it launched cross-border strikes, blaming militant groups it says are supported by Pakistan, which denies the accusation.

The attack and India’s threat of retaliation have sparked fears of nuclear war with Pakistan. Both countries are known to possess nuclear weapons.

The Kashmir conflict is a long territorial dispute between India and Pakistan, dating back to 1947 when India was partitioned after it became independent from Britain.

Both India and Pakistan claimed the territory, which led to three wars. India reportedly controls 55% of the area, while Pakistan controls 30%, and the rest is under China.

willem.phungula@inl.co.za