Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 22: BJP today demanded a CBI probe into the August 9 communal violence at Kishtwar saying that the judicial inquiry as ordered by the Government can’t be effective.
The State Government should approach CBI and ask it to investigate the August 9 Kishtwar riots, BJP National Executive member and Leader of its Legislative Party, Ashok Khajuria and another National Executive, Member, Dr Nirmal Singh told reporters here today. The duo who had gone to Kishtwar as a part of Party delegation and held meetings with the prominent people of both the communities said that minorities in Kishtwar continue to reel under a sense of deep insecurity.
Maintaining that party stands with the people of Kishtwar, the BJP leaders urged the Government to concede the two main demand of minorities in case it wants to restore their faith in the administration and prevent their migration for the area.
Demanding full compensation for the losses of shops and other business establishments, the BJP leaders said that the hapless minorities of Kishtwar have been targeted from time to time and the successive Governments did not deem it necessary to compensate them. They said 45 shops of minorities were damaged in 1993 riots, 34 shops in 1998 and 55 in 2003. Not only this, 57 shops were badly damaged in 2008 and again in 2013, 90 shops and 70 vehicles belonging to minorities were damaged completely.
The Government paid paltry sum of Rs 20,000 each in 2003 and amount of Rs one lakh in 2008. But no compensation was paid at other time, they added.
Charging the Government of hatching a conspiracy to implicate the BJP leader Sunil Sharma in false and fabricated cases, they said that Sharma is a very popular leader of the area and has very cordial relations with the people of both the communities which is clear from the fact that he got 17,000 votes in last Assembly elections from the Constituency which has major votes of majority community.
They criticized the DIG of the district for his failure in taking effective steps in averting August 9 violence, when stray incidents of stone pelting, appearance of anti antinational posters and sloganeering last month that culminated in the present situation resulting in casualties and destruction of minorities properties.
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