Protesters in Kashmir censure India’s plan to evict Muslims

The protest was held in the main city of Srinagar, which lies in the Kashmir Valley. The city is the summer capital and largest city of the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. 
 
The demonstrators said New Delhi has forced them to leave the places where they’ve been living for years.
 
New Delhi, earlier this year, announced plans to build a number of townships to accommodate some 200,000 Hindus.
 
Kashmiri leaders called the plan a conspiracy to create settlements on religious lines, saying the plan will create hatred between Hindus and Muslims.
 
Activists in the tense region gave the Indian government a 10-day moratorium on Monday to stop the forced evictions.
 
They threatened to stage nationwide rallies if New Delhi fails to meet their demand.
 
Many were upset over the eviction plan because it targeted Muslims. Muslims and Hindu communities both live in the area, but India’s Forest Minister has only ordered the eviction of the Muslim citizens, said activists.
 
It has been reported that bulldozers have begun destroying property belonging to Muslims in Kashmir.
 
Indian authorities deployed large contingents of police and paramilitary troops to most parts of Srinagar over the past several weeks and several other major towns to prevent street demonstrations.
 
Kashmir has been a matter of dispute between India and its neighbor Pakistan since their independence from British colonial rule in 1947. The arch-rivals lay claim to the whole region but each of them only controls a section of it.