Veil of terror drapes this town

The result: the female population has chosen to stay indoors while the sale of burqas has suddenly shot up. At the Government Degree College here, the murder of a student yesterday has sent a chill. Less than half of the 700 girl students showed up today. And among those who came, nearly 70 per cent were in purdah. This in a college where till Wednesday, only one student and one teacher wore burqas. College principal M R Khan said militants had pasted a poster outside the college gates two days back.

‘‘The security forces say that under the veil, it will be difficult to differentiate between a Muslim female and a militant during searches in the area,’’ said a girl student at the Degree College here.

Pointing out that if they didn’t wear the burqa, they would have to face the wrath of militants, another student added: ‘‘And if we wear it, we’ll have to face harassment at the hands of security forces.’’

Trying to ease the situation, Senior Superintendent of Police, Rajouri, P.R. Manhas said he had asked senior security forces officials not to object to wearing of burqas in the district. ‘‘Like in the Valley, the militants’ burqa campaign will fade out on its own,’’ he said. However, reports from rural areas like Darhal and Thanamandi indicated that the security forces were yet to receive such orders.

Meanwhile, all the readymade garment dealers in the town have run out of burqas, the rates for which are sky-rocketing. An ordinary burqa which was readily available for Rs 300 here is not to be found for even Rs 1,000 now. Locals have started placing orders with tailors as well. Such is the situation that tailors have burqa orders booked till the next month.

Since this district is dominated by Gujjars, burqas were not very popular here. ‘‘We have no other choice now as life is dear to everybody,’’ said Sunaina Malik, a student at the Government Degree College. While she had no objections to wearing the burqa, she added that it should be a matter of choice, not force.