Excelsior Correspondent
KATHUA, May 13: Three legislators from Kathua district including two MLAs and one MLC today boycotted the passing out parade of J&K Police here in protest against violation of protocol by the police authorities.
MLA Kathua Charanjit Singh, MLA Hiranagar, Durga Dass and MLC Subhash Gupta protested and boycotted the passing out parade function at Police Training School Kathua alleging that no protocol was maintained by the State police at the venue of the function.
‘We boycotted the function in protest,” Charanjit Singh told Excelsior. The MLA said, “as per protocol the Legislators are given priority in seating arrangements during Government functions even to Chief Secretary and DGP but in today’s function our seats were kept in back row even much after the seats of SSPs and DySPs. We have taken a serious exception to the same’’, he added.
“Moreover at the Government function the hosts have to receive and see off the Legislators who are invited to attend the function but no body came to receive us though DGP had extended invitation letters to us. Though we participated in the function till Parade was held and later left in protest but no one from the hosts even bothered to ask us why we are leaving or came to see off us’’, he added.
All police officers and MoS Home, Sajjad Kitchloo, were present in the function but no body took the notice of the same. “As per protocol in official function the Legislators are given the proper seats and even there was no seat for me at all at the venue’’ said Mr Singh.
He said the MLAs later convened a hurried press conference in the town in which the Government was given time till tomorrow and in case it failed to take action by that time, the MLAs will file a petition before the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Mubarak Gul for breach of privilege against DGP and other officers responsible.
“The speaker is the custodian of the rights of the MLAs and we will move breach of privilege before him against police’’, said Mr Singh.
Before inviting the Legislators to function the police officers were supposed to read the protocol first, he said adding, how can the junior police officers like SSPs, AIGs and even DySPs occupy the seat in the front row while the Legislators seats are kept in back row.
“We are elected representatives and people have expectations from us. We should not be ignored or neglected in such a way,” he said, adding “if this is the behavior with public representatives what will be their behavior with people’’.
He said earlier the action was taken against a Commissioner Secretary and he was attached with General Department for Breach of Privilege by the Assembly.
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