New Delhi, Aug 20 (IANS): Home Minister P Chidambaram today said Sikhs need not have fear in the Kashmir Valley, where some Sikh families have reportedly received anonymous letters from extremists asking them to either embrace Islam or leave.
"We are aware of the so-called threat but there is nothing to fear. The Chief Minister (Omar Abdullah) has assured that the Sikh community will be given protection," Chidambaram said in the Rajya Sabha after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members voiced protest over the issue forcing a brief adjournment.
The Home Minister told the House that the Central government has been in talks with the State government for ensuring safety of Sikhs in the Valley. "Let the House be assured that the State and Centre are working together and Sikhs will be protected," Chidambaram said.
Stating that he was aware of a Sikh being attacked in the valley, Chidambaram said, "There has been one incident where the rights of a person belonging to Sikh community were violated ... I got a letter from a Sikh delegation to meet me, I will be meeting them in a few days."
Expressing dissatisfaction to the minister's reply, BJP leader SS Ahluwalia said similar assurances had been given in the past but nothing has been done. "Leaders have come in the past with similar assurances but what happened," Ahluwalia said. "We want a convenient atmosphere for the Sikhs in the valley... government cannot give protection to everyone."
The 60,000-strong Sikh community is the single largest minority group in the valley after Hindus fled in the early 1990s when an armed separatist conflict backed by Pakistan erupted in Jammu and Kashmir. The All Party Sikh Coordination Committee (ASCC) has alleged that several community members have received these threat letters.
Hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Geelani has reassured the Sikhs saying they should not feel threatened and ignore the "fake letters".
