New Delhi, Aug 30: Outgoing Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi on Wednesday objected to linking religion with terrorism, saying there is no colour to terror and it is not right to describe it as "saffron" or any other colour.
Mehrishi, who will demit office on Thursday, also said Pakistan was fomenting trouble in Jammu and Kashmir but dismissed the theory that Kashmiris feel alienated as a "concept of Delhi media".
Mehrishi, who was appointed two years ago as Home Secretary, will be succeeded by senior IAS officer Rajiv Gauba.
It is speculated that Mehrishi may be given a post retirement job and will be appointed as Election Commissioner. There were also talk about him being appointed as Jammu and Kashmir Governor but he dismissed such speculation, saying he is headed to his home in Jaipur on Thursday.
Describing that there is no colour to terrorism, the 62-year-old bureaucrat said, "I object to using of term Hindu terror or saffron terror. There is no colour to terror."
Questions were posed to him following the Supreme Court granting bail to Col Srikant Purohit, an accused in Malegaon blast case that is described as a Hindutva terror case.
Mehrishi said it is for the courts to decide on whether the accused are innocent or guilty. "Terror is a terror. You can't connect it to any religion. No religion allows terrorism. Those who indulge in terrorism in the name of religion is only bringing a bad name to religion."
On Kashmir, he said more than 90% of Kashmiris want peace and progress and they have same aspirations as any other person in the country. "The view that the Kashmiris are alienated is a concept of Delhi media. We have problems in Kashmir due to Pakistan and radicalisation and terrorism are problems to be addressed," Mehrishi said.
He said the government can talk with Kashmiri separatists only if there is no pre-condition.
Mehrishi also felt that the probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on terror funding had an effect on those financing the subversive activities.
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