Jammu: Independent MLA Sheikh Khursheed Ahmed on Monday held a protest in Jammu and Kashmir Assembly premises demanding justice for the families of two persons killed in Sopore and Kathua recently as well as restoration of Article 370 and statehood.
Amid heavy rains, the legislator from the Langate assembly constituency, who is the brother of MP Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, sat on the assembly premises’ staircases, holding a banner demanding a judicial probe into the deaths of the two civilians.
He also tried to raise the banner in the Central Hall during the Lieutenant Governor’s address on the opening day of the Budget session but was prevented by the assembly’s watch and ward staff. One banner was confiscated from him.
“I protested in front of the Lieutenant Governor. I raised the demand for justice for the families of Waseem Mir and Makhan Din. The police and government remain silent on this matter. Nothing has been done. Even legislators are silent. That is why I raised this issue. We demand justice for them,” Ahmed told reporters outside the assembly.
He stressed the necessity for judicial inquiries into these incidents. “We urge the Lieutenant Governor to initiate judicial probes. We will also raise this issue in the Assembly,” he added.
Mir was allegedly shot dead by security forces in Sopore in Baramulla district of north Kashmir, after allegedly speeding away from a checkpoint on January 5.
Din, allegedly tortured in police custody, consumed poison and committed suicide in Kathua on February 4.
Ahmed also demanded the restoration of statehood, release of political prisoners, cessation of employee terminations, and an end to the use of the Public Safety Act (PSA) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
In August 2019, the central government revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370 and reorganized it into two Union Territories: Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
The MLA also demanded release of political prisoners and an end to the use of PSA and UAPA.
The Budget session of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly commenced on Monday after a seven-year hiatus. This session marks the second Assembly session since the formation of the NC-led government in the Union Territory. Previously, the Assembly convened in Srinagar from November 4 to 8 last year, shortly after the government assumed power.
MP Rashid has been in jail since 2019 after his name figured in a terror funding case in the Kashmir valley. A charge sheet has been filed, and a special NIA court has framed charges against him.
