Massive uproar during Question Hour over FIRs, Jats reservation

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Mar 4: The PDP today staged a walk-out in the Legislative Assembly twice over alleged misbehaviour with Kashmiri students at Meerut University and registration of First Information Reports (FIRs) against the protesters at Lalpora, Lolab in Kupwara district while Jammu based Opposition members shouted slogans seeking reservations for Jats in Jammu and Kashmir.
Pandemonium forced Speaker Mubarak Gul to adjourn the Assembly for 20 minutes during the Question Hour.
Higher Education Minister Mohammad Akbar Lone today again had heated exchanged with the PDP MLAs including their Legislature Party leader Mehbooba Mufti. Social Welfare Minister Sakina Itoo and Minister for Animal and Sheep Husbandry Nazir Gurezi also had heated arguments with the PDP MLAs.
Speaker Mubarak Gul’s plea for calm during Question Hour on last day of the current session today fell on deaf ear as all PDP members were on their feet after their party colleague Rafi Mir pointed out that 150 Kashmiri students were beaten-up in Meerut University during Indo-Pak cricket match and thrown out of the Campus.
The MLAs of BJP, NPP and JSM were also on the front row demanding reservations for Jats in Jammu and Kashmir on the pattern of reservation extended to the community in 9 States.
Speaker Mubarak Gul advised Rafi Mir not to make it an issue saying he had directed Chief Ministers of all States to ensure that the Kashmiri students were not harassed anywhere in the country. He said such type of incidents had the potential of increasing alienation among the Kashmiri youths.
BJP MLA Ashok Khajuria and JSM MLA Ashwani Sharma countered the PDP MLAs saying the Kashmiri students had raised anti-national slogans after the victory of Pakistan.
The PDP MLAs then switched over to another issue raised by party’s Lolab MLA Abdul Haq Khan saying police have registered FIRs against the youth at Lalpora for protests and sought direction from the Chair for quashing the FIRs. He said the FIRs would spoil career of the youths and should be withdrawn immediately.
The PDP members sought a direction from the Speaker to Home Minister to make a statement in the Assembly. The Speaker advised the PDP members to take their seats and assured them Minister of State for Home (Sajjad Ahmad Kitchloo) would speak to the concerned Deputy Commissioner, take a report on the FIRs and then report back.
However, this didn’t pacify the agitated PDP MLAs, who indulged in shouting of slogans like ‘FIRs Ko Waapis Lo’ (take FIRs back), ‘Begunahon Ko Insaaf Do’ (give justice to innocents) and ‘PSA Sarkaar Hai Hai’ (down with PSA Government).
PDP MLA Nizam-ud-Din Bhat said Lalpora FIRs were not isolated incidents as the authorities had registered FIRs against the protesters at various places.
As the BJP, NPP and JSM members also started shouting slogans seeking reservation for Jats, the Speaker adjourned the House at 10.11 am for 20 minutes.
As the Question Hour resumed at 10.34 am, the PDP members were again on their feet shouting take back FIRs. Independent MLA Engineer Rashid trooped into middle of the House protesting against registration of the FIRs.
The Speaker repeatedly told the protesting PDP MLAs that the Minister would reply to their queries and that they should take their seats. He said the innocent people will get justice but at the same time the culprits wouldn’t be spared.
Higher Education Minister Mohammad Akbar Lone had heated exchanges with PDP MLAs when they were indulging in slogan shouting in the Well of the House.
“Yeh Goondagardi, Dramebaazi Kar Rahe Hain (they are resorting to goondaism and enacting drama). Their leader (Mehbooba Mufti) is instigating them (the MLAs),’’ Mr Lone shouted. While Ms Mufti and PDP Deputy Legislature Party leader Abdul Rehman Veeri were protesting from their seats, other party MLAs were in the Well of the House.
Social Welfare Minister Sakina Itoo charged the PDP members with disrupting the House proceedings daily and converting the Question Hour into the Protest Hour. Minister for Animal and Sheep Husbandry Nazir Gurezi charged the slogan shouting PDP MLAs with enacting drama.
This provoked the PDP members, who intensified sloganeering like ‘FIR Government Hai Hai’.
The Speaker said today he wouldn’t order their removal from the House. “You want to make news. Keep on shouting till evening. You are only exploiting the youth and voters of Lolab,’’ he said.
Amidst thumping from NC benches, Mubarak Gul said the PDP MLA (Abdul Haq Khan) should go to his Assembly constituency of Lolab if the people are suffering there.
As the Question Hour was about to end, all PDP MLAs led by Mehbooba Mufti staged a walk-out in the Assembly shouting slogans.
Mr Lone exchanged hot words with Mehbooba when she was crossing from near her seat while walking-out of the House. Ms Mufti stopped near the treasury benches for a while, spoke few words and then left the House.
Entire Question Hour was virtually disrupted due to protests by the Opposition though the Speaker took up some questions and the Ministers replied to them.
Referring to the registration of FIRs on youths at Lalpora, Engineer Rashid said he was also locked in jail in 2005 and he had to self his 7 marlas land, cattle etc to pay bribe to get released.
PDF MLA Hakim Yasin wanted to know why Mr Rashid was silent since 2005 and why he was raising the issue today.
Rashid said he fought elections after the excesses and became the MLAs.
“Jammu and Kashmir has been converted into a police state. I have repeatedly been saying this. The Chief Minister had promised constitution of Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Where is that? Stop politics on dead bodies of Kashmiris and let them live peacefully,’’ Rashid said.
Deputy Speaker Sartaj Madni was on his feet. He said he won’t say whether the charges of Rashid were right or wrong but if he had paid bribe to get release, as he has claimed, he was also an accused under the law. A FIR should also be registered against him for paying bribe, he added.
Few minutes before adjournment of the Assembly sine die when the House was debating bills, PDP MLA Rafi Mir again raised the issue of alleged thrashing of Kashmiri students at Meerut and said the Government has not given any reply. He alleged that the Liaison Officers appointed by the State Government for students studying outside the State were not picking up telephones.
The PDP members again staged a walk-out in the House. Ms Mufti while leading the walk-out passed some remarks, which were expunged by the Speaker. The PDP MLAs didn’t return to the House even for the farewell speech on the last day of the session.
Later talking to the reporters outside the Assembly, Ms Mufti said The Government has converted the Assembly into headquarters of Nawa-i-Subh (National Conference) and Congress.
“No body is listening to the plight of the people—be they students at Meerut or protesters at Lalpora in the Assembly,’’ she alleged
Mehbooba said that Kashmiri youth are victims of the “oppressive policies’’ of the present Government. She said that Kashmir has been virtually “converted into a prison’’ where only the Government and its apologists enjoy the freedom.
“Teenagers are arrested under draconian laws and the place has been virtually handed over to the police and security forces. Imprisonment of teenagers, who should be in schools, is the real picture of the present Government’s performance.”, she observed and pointed out that  a sense of anger prevailed in Kashmir, while the State has been justifying its oppressive policies as an excuse for “maintaining law and order”.
She said since the day present Government took the reign of State, hundreds of people have lost their lives, with majority of them being innocent youth. Mehbooba also said that 99 percent of the persons booked under PSAs and against whom FIRs were lodged are also youth.
Ms Mufti said there was an immediate need to understand the anger and frustration of youth but instead the NC-led Government has created a system, which is fully loaded against them.
She said instead of real ‘hand holding of the youth’, Omar Abdullah is handcuffing and subjecting them to “humiliation and inhuman treatment’’ inside the police lockups thus making their lives miserable.
Pointing out the recent incident of exile for Kashmir students in Meerat area of UP, she said that victimization of Kashmiri youth should be stopped. “The Government claimed to have opened a help line for students in distress outside the State. However, as per the reports the so called Help Line does not even respond, not to speak of providing any immediate relief”, she said.

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