Excelsior Correspondent
SRINGAR, Apr 29: Higher Education Minister, Mohammad Akbar Lone, today slapped a youth during Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah’s election rally in North Kashmir that goes to polls on May 7 while the CM had to cancel his rally at Pattan after only around two dozen persons turned up.
Lone slapped the youth after he tried to raise his personal issue during an election rally at Rafiabad this afternoon when the Chief Minister was addressing the rally. However, Lone later in a statement issued to the press apologized to the youth for slapping him.
Witness and video recording of the rally suggested that when Omar started his speech in Rafiabad, three brothers Muhammad Amin, Firdous Ahmed and Hilal Ahmed stood up and Muhammad Amin tried to attract the attention of Chief Minister.
“Omar Sahab, Omar Sahab, meri baat suno, (Mr Omar, Listen to me),” Amin carrying papers in his hand waved towards the CM. However, the people and security personnel tried to make them to sit down but Omar asked them to bring him to the front row. “We will talk to him later”, he said. “And Amin was brought to the front row”, witnesses said.
However, Chief Minister continued his speech and said that they had come to disturb the rally. “And the three NC leaders, Muhammad Akbar Lone, Junaid Azam Matoo and Javid Ahmed Dar jumped out of the podium and pounced upon him”, said an eyewitness. He said that first Javed Dar slapped him and it was followed by Akbar Lone who also tossed his documents in air.
The security forces immediately swung into action and directed Muhammad Amin and his two brothers to leave the venue.
The slapping that was caught on camera, attracted media attention and they followed the agitated youth. “Look at the media. They are always after something which could create sensation,” the Chief Minister said in his address after seeing media men encircling Amin and his brothers.
Amin denied the charges that he belongs to People’s Democratic Party. “We are five brothers and all are unemployed. We have no affiliation with any political party. Neither we belong to the NC nor the PDP but we had arrived here with a hope that Chief Minister would listen to us,” Amin told reporters.
Amin said that four years ago they registered their Mineral Water Plant which they invested Rs 25 to 30 lakhs. “We completed all the formalities and loan was also sanctioned in our favour but there was no disbursement. We repeatedly brought the issue to the notice of the Government,” he said adding that the concerned department top officials don’t want our venture to see the light of the day.
Amin, however, said that they met the Chief Secretary, Iqbal Khanday twice and “he was helpful but the officials down below are sabotaging their project”.
Lone in a statement, said that he apologized to the youth for slapping him. “I regret the unfortunate incident in which I got into a scuffle with an individual in Rafiabad who tried to disrupt a public meeting being held there while trying to raise a personal grievance. I deeply regret losing my calm and getting into a physical scuffle with the said individual. Soon after the public meeting ended, I met the concerned individual and apologized to him for losing my calm and the concerned individual in turn apologized for disrupting the public meeting in the manner that he did. The Honorable Chief Minister was completely unaware of this incident. However, after being informed about this unfortunate incident the Honorable Chief Minister met him personally and assured him that his personal issue would be looked into through the due process after the end of Parliamentary Elections. The concerned individual apologized for disrupting the public meeting and expressed gratitude to the CM for meeting him personally.”
Earlier Chief Minister cancelled his rally at Eidgah in Pattan town of Baramulla district this morning and instead addressed his party workers at NC leader and former MP, Abdul Rashid Shaheen’s residence.
The Pattan town observed shut down against Chief Minister’s rally in the town since morning and all shops and business establishment remained closed. The rally was scheduled for 11:30 a.m. but only Akbar Lone turned up for the rally and returned after seeing only two dozen persons in the rally.
The security was immediately withdrawn and later Chief Minister addressed his party workers at the residence of NC leader, Shaheen, in the town.
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