Jammu: People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday alleged oppression of the Scheduled Tribe population in Jammu and Kashmir and blamed the Union Territory (UT) government, saying more than half-a-dozen youths from the community have been killed under “suspicious circumstances”.
She said this after visiting the bereaved family of Parvez Ahmed (21), a Gujjar hailing from the Nikki Tawi area of Jammu, who was allegedly killed in a cross-firing incident when police were chasing suspected peddlers in the city on July 24. His killing has sparked protests by the Gujjar community, with his family accusing the police of murdering an “innocent” man in a “staged” encounter.
Mufti accused the administration of pushing the tribal community of J&K to the brink, thereby creating difficult conditions for the entire country.
“This is not the first such incident. The Gujjar community has faced many such cases. From the beginning of this year until now, more than half-a-dozen youth from the Scheduled Tribe community have been killed under suspicious circumstances,” Mufti told reporters here.
She said that these incidents began with Makhan Din (who allegedly committed suicide in Kathua). “Then there were three boys from Kulgam who were said to have drowned in a river. After that, Altaf Lali in Bandipora, and then the boy from Noorabad who allegedly jumped into a river. All these deaths are suspicious.”
Referring to the killing of Ahmed, she said, “What has happened here is a very serious incident. It is an extremely heartbreaking case. A mother has lost her young son. He was shot dead, and after that, he was falsely accused of being involved in drugs. Till now, no action has been taken, which is very unfortunate. Not a single step has been taken so far.”
Asserting that the government is pushing the tribal community of J&K to the brink, she said they are being driven out of Jammu — intimidated and silenced. “These are loyal people, loyal to the country. But if such oppression continues, you are pushing them to the wall. By targeting a loyal community in this manner, you are creating difficult conditions for the entire country,” she said.
Replying to a question about US President Donald Trump’s remarks on “dead economy”, she said that spending the entire budget on defence is draining the nation. “We are spending money to maintain enmity with the neighbouring country Pakistan. It has weakened our economy. The economy will definitely slide down as the money is being spent on weapons procurement post-Operation Sindoor.”
On US President Donald Trump announcing a 25 percent tariff on India, the PDP chief said “it is very unfortunate that we treated him with so much respect, especially our Prime Minister. Imposing tariffs on our country will create problems for us”.
She further said that India has always maintained a neutral stance, but during the NDA government, Prime Minister Modi openly campaigned for Trump. “However, Trump’s attitude has, at times, been favourable towards us.”
Mufti termed the acquittal of Sadhvi Pragya in the Malegaon blast case as unfortunate and said, “It is very sad that the BJP is distributing sweets over the acquittal of a woman who shot at photographs of Mahatma Gandhi… If you recall, Ram Rahim, accused in multiple rape cases, also campaigned for the BJP…
“When you release criminals in your own country for any reason, people in foreign countries begin to discourage their women from coming to India. The biggest reason for this is that the rule of law has become very weak in the country,” she said.
Mufti earlier visited the family of Ahmed.
She called for a time-bound and impartial probe into the incident and said that such “extra-judicial killings” have no place in a democratic society.
The former chief minister, who arrived here from the summer capital Srinagar, went to the house of the deceased youth to express her condolences and share the family’s grief.
The PDP president, who was accompanied by several party leaders, met the family and assured them of justice.
“PDP president Mehbooba Mufti visited the family of Parvez Ahmed in Nikki Tawi, who fell victim to a staged encounter,” a party spokesperson said.
Extending her condolences, she assured them of full support in their pursuit of justice.
“Such extra-judicial killings have no place in a democratic society. Accountability and the rule of law must prevail,” she said.
On July 28, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah visited the bereaved family of Parvez Ahmed and assured them of justice.
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary, who visited the deceased youth’s house on July 27, called for an impartial inquiry into the incident.
NC leader Javed Rana met the family on Saturday. On July 29, former BJP president Ravinder Raina also visited the family and assured them of justice.
On July 25, the administration ordered a magisterial probe and registered an FIR into the killing of the tribal youth in crossfire. The police have suspended two cops and ordered a probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT).
