Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Mar 14: Ruling National Conference MLAs today protested in the Legislative Assembly against the killing of Altaf Ahmad Wani at Saidpora, Srinagar in firing by the paramilitary CRPF yesterday in retaliation to stone pelting forcing the Government to give a reply on the incident while the Opposition MLAs from BJP, NPP and JSM strongly condemned the killing of five CRPF jawans in a fidayeen attack at Bemina and staged a walk-out after protests and sloganeering as Deputy Speaker Sartaj Madni rejected the NPP’s adjournment motion to discuss the issue arising out of the killing.
Speaker Mubarak Gul was not present in the House today as he had gone to Srinagar to pay tributes to Altaf Ahmad Wani, who happened to be his close associate. The PDP members were also absent as the principle opposition party had yesterday announced boycott of rest of the budget session in protest against Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde’s statement refusing to handover body of 2001 Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru to his family in Sopore.
As soon as the House assembled for the day, all NC MLAs including, Dr Sheikh Mustafa Kamaal, Qamar Ali Akhoon, Abdul Gani Malik, Radhey Shyam Sharma, Peer Afaq, Irfan Shah, Aijaz Jan, Mohammad Ashraf Ganaie and Yasin Shah among others were on their feet. CPM member MY Tarigami and PDF MLA Hakim Mohammad Yasin also stood up from their seats. Independent MLA Engineer Rashid protested from his bench.
Deputy Speaker, Sartaj Madni, who was in the chair asked the MLAs to take their seats and assured them that the Government would give its reply on the killing. However on being insisted upon by the MLAs to speak, Mr Madni allowed some members to make their point.
Immediately thereafter, NPP MLAs—Harshdev Singh, Balwant Singh Mankotia and Yashpal Kundal, BJP MLAs—Ashok Khajuria, Jugal Kishore, Sukhnandan Choudhary and Sham Choudhary and Jammu State Morcha (JSM) legislator Ashwani Sharma were on their feet and strongly condemned the killings of five CRPF personnel by the terrorists at Bemina in Srinagar.
Asserting that law and order machinery has totally collapsed and CRPF and police have been disarmed and given sticks in their hands, Harshdev Singh said the Government has no right to stay in power and should resign. Mr Singh and Mr Mankotia wanted their adjournment motion to be admitted. However, Mr Madni rejected it on the ground that Leader of the House and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has already made a statement on the incident and has condemned the incident along with Speaker Mubarak Gul.
“Five CRPF jawans have been killed. There is total collapse of law and order authorities. Our jawans have been disarmed and lathis (sticks) have been given in their hands. How would they protect them and the people with the lathis’’? Harshdev asked and said the Government has no right to ask for withdrawal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). He sought resignation of the Government.
“The Government failure and repeated demand of AFSPA withdrawal has demoralized the security forces. The security personnel have been equipped with lathis and disarmed’’, he said recalling that earlier also two police unarmed police constables were killed at Handwara.
BJP Legislature Party leader Ashok Khajuria said the drama enacted during last few days by both ruling party (NC) and Opposition (PDP) on the issue of Guru had boosted the morale of terrorists and disheartened the jawans.
“Such talks shouldn’t take place in the Assembly’’, he said.
Engineer Rashid (Independent) wanted to know from where the militants were coming as Army and BSF were manning the borders. “We must admit that AFSPA has failed to stop the attacks’’, he said.
Prof Chaman Lal Gupta, MLA Jammu West said five CRPF jawans have been killed. Also, he added, there had been thefts in six temples in his Assembly constituency. ‘‘These incidents reminded me of 1989-90 situation as the militancy has started in similar way’’, Prof Gupta said.
Ashwani Sharma (JSM) said the talks for withdrawal of AFSPA have been sending wrong message and encouraging militancy. He said the House should express sympathies with the families of martyr jawans, who died while protecting the civilians. He added that the Government should have a strong policy to tackle militancy.
Mr Sharma strongly condemned the “new Government policy’’ of arming paramilitary and police with sticks only.
Jugal Kishore (BJP) charged the NC and PDP with supporting militancy by calling the militants as martyrs, thus, boosting their morale. He declared that the BJP, at no cost, would allow withdrawal of AFSPA from the State.
Former Minister and Congress leader Mohammad Sharief Niaz called for a probe into the charges that paramilitary and police jawans had been disarmed and given sticks to defend them.
“This is very bad report if it is true (the disarming of jawans and equipping them with sticks),’’Mr Niaz said and also strongly condemned the killing of Altaf Ahmad Wani. He said the killing of two Army soldiers, one of whom was beheaded on the Line of Control (LoC) should also be condemned strongly.
“It is very sad that we cannot raise the issue of martyrs and discuss them here. The adjournment motion brought by us was rejected on martyrs but the adjournment motion on Guru by opposition PDP, ruling NC and CPM was admitted and discussed,” NPP member Balwant Singh Mankotia said.
“You (the Government) have disarmed the police and security personnel and made them targets of the militants. Government is responsible for the CRPF killings,” Mr Mankotia said.
After the rejection of adjournment motion, all MLAs of BJP, NPP and JSM staged a noisy walk-out in the Assembly shouting ‘Mulak Kay Khilaaf Saajish Bandh Karo, Bandh Karo’, ‘Security Forces Ki Hatya Bandh Karo, Bandh Karo’ and ‘Security Forces Kay Khilaaf Bolna Bandh Karo, Bandh Karo’.
BJP breakaway group legislators, however, didn’t join the walk-out.
CPM member M Y Tarigami said they had condemned the incident of killing of the CRPF jawans and the Government had given an elaborate reply on it.
“We also demand the reply from the Government on the killing of Altaf Ahmad Wani in the firing,” he said.
Asserting that the killing of CRPF jawans was ‘shocking’’, Mr Tarigami wanted to know from the Opposition members, who had walked-out, “whether Altaf Ahmad Wani is not a citizen of India. They didn’t say a single word about him. Don’t communalise death. Just because the victim’s name is Altaf, they have not condemned his death. Why this discrimination’’?
Hakim Mohammad Yasin (PDF) said they condemned the killing of 5 CRPF jawans but in the second incident an innocent youth going to his house was also killed in the firing. The Government should make a statement on the incident, he added.
The Question Hour remained disrupted for 23 minutes till the Opposition members walked-out of the House.
The National Conference MLAs were again on their feet after the Question Hour and wanted the Government to react on the killing of Wani. The Deputy Speaker assured the House that Law Minister Saifullah Mir make a statement in the Assembly.
Later, in his brief statement, Saifullah said the CRPF men rushing for blood donation to their injured colleagues came under attack by the group of stone pelters and opened fire at Saidpora in which one youth was killed.
“Men of 73 battalion of CRPF were on way to SKIMS to donate blood for the CRPF personnel, who had been injured in the Bemina attack earlier in the day,” Mr Mir said.
“They were reportedly attacked by an alleged group of stone pelters at Saidpora Eidgah, Srinagar, the Minister said.
The CRPF men retaliated and opened the fire in which 35-year-old Altaf Ahmad Mir was killed, he said.
Minister of State for Home Sajad Kitchloo, while intervening, informed the House that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand are in Srinagar and reviewing the situation and hoped they would take an appropriate decision regarding Saidpora incident soon and could order an inquiry.
Speaking to media persons outside the Assembly, Minister of State for Home Sajjad Ahmed Kitchloo denied allegations of disarming of CRPF.
Speaking to reporters, Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control and Congress leader Sham Lal Sharma termed the issue of disarming as sensitive and said it would be discussed in the Cabinet and there was a need to revisit this policy.
Two unarmed Constables Santosh Kumar and Azad Chand of Indian Reserve Police (IRP) were shot at by militants from point blank range in Handwara town of Kashmir valley on March 2. They were carrying non-lethal arms at the time.
“The policy need to be reviewed,’’ Mr Sharma said.
“We will discuss it (disarming of Police and CRPF under SOP) in the Cabinet meeting. I think there is a need to re-visit this policy once again— it is needed to be reviewed”, Mr Sharma said.
Sharma was replying to the volley of questions about disarming of CRPF and policemen and making them targets of the militants in Kashmir valley, revocation of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and the happenings in the State Assembly over Afzal Guru issue.
Commenting on revocation of AFSPA, the Minister said: “If we say militancy from Jammu and Kashmir has been wiped out— but this type of incident (Yesterday’s fidayeen attack) showed that militancy has not been fully stamped out from J&K”.
“I condemn the fidayeen attack on security forces— I do not feel our forces- Army and Para-military forces- are demoralised— our jawans are brave and they are moving forward (to stamp out terrorism)”, Mr Sharma said.
Replying to the question on opposition and ruling National Conference raising the issue of Afzal Guru in the House, he said “State is moving towards political bankruptcy— may be I am also coming in it”.
He further said: “as the elections are coming close— we are doing issue based politics— the situation that is emerging in Jammu and Kashmir, the political people are undermining it”.
Replying to the another question about politics being done by PDP and NC on selective deaths on the basis of religion, he said “yesterday’s killings which took place in Kashmir— death is a death— we should in totality condemn all of them— If we take these issues on the basis of caste, creed and religion, I condemn it”.
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