Srinagar, Mar 10: Opposition National Conference (NC) leaders and workers Saturday staged a protest outside the Gupkar residence of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti against the “communalizing” of Kathua rape-and-murder and recent Shopian killings.
Scores of party workers and supporters led by the NC general secretary and MLA Khanyar Ali Mohammad Sagar and joined by NC provincial president Nasir Aslam Wani, vice-president Chaudhary Muhammad Ramzan and North Zone president Muhammad Akbar Lone marched from NC headquarter Nawab-i-Subh here towards Raj Bawan while shouting anti-governmental slogans.
The protesters, however, gathered outside Mehbooba’s Gupkar residence and protested there.
Talking to reporters, Sagar said the government had shown “shocking and shameful insensitivity” towards the heinous tragedy in Kathua and it was a blot of shame that two Cabinet ministers participated in a rally that aimed to shield the culprits by mounting political pressure on the investigation.
“The State government has rubbed salt on the wounds of Asifa’s family by allowing these forces to intimidate, torment and harass them even while they are mourning,” Sagr said.
He said it is shameful that the State government and the district administration couldn’t even facilitate Asifa’s burial in her own village as goons attacked the family forcing them to bury her in a neighbouring village.
Following this tragedy, the revelation that evidence was destroyed “clearly indicates a deep-rooted conspiracy being hatched at the highest quarters to save the culprits and the participation of two Cabinet ministers in the Hindu Ekta Manch event raises a lot of questions,” the NC general secretary said.
Sagar said that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is playing politics over the Kathua rape-and-murder tragedy.
“There are apprehensions among the minority Muslim community in Jammu after the incident. We demand that the culprits should be punished in the shortest possible time. We also demand action against two ministers who support Hindu Ekta Manch and took part in their protest rally. A party which is a part of government is giving a communal colour to the tragic and brutal incident,” Sagar said.
He also demanded an explanation on the government stand on FIR in Supreme Court involving Army’s Major Aditya Kumar.
“We also want explanation into the Shopian killings case in which an army major was named in the FIR, but the state government in Supreme Court said that there is no mention of him in any FIR,” Sagar said.
“First Mehbooba-ji assured the people on the floor of the Assembly that she would take the Shopian FIR to its logical conclusion and then when the accused Army officer’s father moved the Supreme Court – Mehbooba-ji’s government said the Major’s name doesn’t even exist in the said FIR,” Sagar said.
“Consequently the Central government filed a fresh plea in the Supreme Court seeking quashing of the FIR filed by the J&K government. Now the very right of the State government to take legal action in these matters is being mocked and unfortunately the Chief Minister is completely silent and has surrendered. This doesn’t auger well for the State and these are questions that the CM must answer”, the NC general secretary added.
NC spokesperson Junaid Azim Mattu said that Hindu Ekta Manch is trying to save the culprits involved in the Kuthua rape-and-murder case.
“Two cabinet ministers Lal Singh and (Chandra Prakash) Ganga addressed the gathering of the Manch, which is shielding and supporting animals in human skins. Today’s protest is in solidarity with Jammu Muslims,” he said.
