Awaiting the Indian government’s clearance for his visa to return from London for his mother’s last rites, Jammu and Kashmir leader Bhim Singh’s son has apologised to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for participating in an anti-government protest last year after which he was blacklisted by the high commission.
In an open letter to the Prime Minister, Ankit Love, 39, said he regretted throwing eggs and stones at the high commission during the February 2022 protest and requested Modi to intervene so that he could return and perform the funeral of his mother, Jay Mala, 64. He also spoke in favour of the Modi government’s move to scrap Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.
Mala, a Supreme Court lawyer, died on April 26 and her body has been kept at the mortuary of the Government Medical College (GMC) hospital in Jammu after Love requested it be kept there till he returns to perform the last rites.
Several people in Kashmir could not readily recall what Love was protesting against — but the memory of the Indian government is not so short. Love was apparently protesting against the Indian government’s alleged unlawful conduct in Jammu and Kashmir, in particular an allegation of mass rape in February 1991.
Love’s relatives are engaged in a tussle to take control of the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP), which has been in disarray following founder Bhim Singh’s death on May 31, 2022. Love could not join his funeral as well.
According to Love, he was blacklisted by India after the British police arrested him following a protest outside the Indian high commission in London on February 14, 2022.
In the open letter to the Prime Minister, Love said he deeply and sincerely regretted his actions and apologised for his mistake.
“I will be deeply thankful if you could kindly forgive me and allow me to visit Jammu to perform the last rites of my mother…. I need to reach Jammu urgently as everyone is waiting for my arrival to perform the last rites,” Love said, adding it was also the wish of his mother.
Referring to the Indian high commission’s denial of approval for his travel, he said: “I assure you that henceforth there will be no such act by me against my Nation which I love very much and am very much proud of.”
“My father had fought all his life for Jammu and Kashmir to fully accede with India and eventually on 5th August 2019 India accepted Jammu and Kashmir as an integral part of India and my late father’s dream for joining Jammu and Kashmir with India came true,” Love said, referring to the Centre’s move of diluting Article 370 on that day.
Love said he had been “misguided” by some other people surrounding him to commit the mistake, but expressed hope he would be forgiven and his visa cleared.
He urged lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha and Jammu district magistrate Avny Lavasa not to remove the body from the mortuary, and also postpone the postmortem.
“I request you not to remove her body from the mortuary till I am there, or till the Government of India refuses me officially, when either happens everyone will be most aware. Or else there will be a real black mark in the history of all involved and that of our Hindu faith too,” Love said.
Shortly before the death of Bhim Singh, his two nephews — former minister Harsh Dev Singh (ex-JKNPP chairman) and former legislator Balwant Singh Mankotia — resigned from the party to join the Aam Aadmi Party.
While Mankotia, who had also served as JKNPP president, later switched to the BJP, Harsh Dev returned to the JKNPP recently and claimed he had been elected as state party president.
However, Harsh Dev’s return brought together Love’s cousin Vilakshan Singh and another faction led by a prominent leader and Bhim Singh’s close aide P.K. Gangoo. Both Vilakshan and Gangoo contested Harsh Dev’s claim.
Mala had been staying at the home of her niece and Vilakshan’s sister Mrignayani Slathia at Domana where she fell from the stairs on the evening of April 25. She died at a hospital the next day.
The body was shifted to Vilakshan’s residence at Sidhra and later to the mortuary on the request of Love.
On April 28, Love, also the chief patron of the JKNPP, requested Vilakshan to resign from the post of party president.
“Vilakshan Singh’s first responsibility as president was to ensure the security and survival of Panthers Party (co-)founder Jay Mala, widow of Prof. Bhim Singh, who died last year on May 31. She was only 64, and had many more years to keep on living and fighting for the rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” he had said.
