Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Mar 29: Legislative Assembly today witnessed pandemonium by ruling BJP-PDP members over reported recommendations of Justice RC Gandhi Inquiry Commission indicting then Minister of State for Home and National Conference leader Sajjad Ahmad Kitchloo, now MLC, on August 9, 2013 riots in Kishtwar in which three persons were killed, several others injured and scores of houses and shops were burnt and damaged.
Ruling party MLAs also created uproar over findings of Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) pointing out Rs 795 crores worth fraudulent withdrawals and wasteful expenditure by previous NC-Congress coalition Government and demanding high level inquiry into it.
Sources said Gandhi Commission has indicted Sajjad Kitchloo, the then IGP Jammu Rajesh Kumar, the then DIG Doda range Ashkoor Wani and then Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar Mohammad Saleem for Kishtwar riots.
“We preceded on facts and evidence. What was in the interim report was also (based) on evidence and what is in the final report is also based on evidence,” Justice Gandhi, who headed the Commission, told a news agency.
He, however, refused to divulge details of the report saying it is the property of the State Government.
“It is for the Government to take a view of it,” Gandhi said.
As soon as the Assembly resumed proceedings for the day, all BJP members joined by most of the PDP members were on their feet and started shouting slogans demanding immediate arrest of Sajjad Kitchloo alleging that he has been indicted for Kishtwar riots by Justice Gandhi Commission, who has submitted his final report to the Government.
“Sajjad Kitchloo Hai Hai’ (down with Sajjad Kitchloo), `Giraftaar Karo Giraftaar Karo, Kitchloo Ko Giraftaar Karo’ (arrest Sajjad Kitchloo), `Kishtwar Kay Qaatil Ko, Faansi Do Faansi Do’ (hang Kishtwar killer) slogans rent the House as the BJP members indulged in massive sloganeering seeking action against Kitchloo.
Intervening, Speaker Kavinder Gupta called upon the members to take their seats saying Kitchloo is now a member of the Upper House.
The NC MLAs including Mubarak Gul, Mohammad Akbar Lone, Ali Mohammad Sagar, Mian Altaf and Aga Syed Ruhulla Mehdi were also on their feet wanting to know what steps the Government has proposed to tackle the flood threat in Srinagar in view of heavy rains. However, the NC MLAs didn’t counter the BJP-PDP charges against Kitchloo.
Former Chief Minister and NC Legislature Party leader Omar Abdullah was not present in the House.
However, as BJP and PDP members continued protests and slogans shouting, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Basharat Ahmad Bukhari said the Government has received the report of Justice Gandhi Inquiry Commission but added that it hasn’t been examined so far as the Government was busy with the budget session.
On protests by the NC members, Bukhari said the water level has been rising at Sangam and Ram Munshi Bagh and the situation was alarming as some of the breaches of last year have not been plugged so far.
He said R&B Minister Altaf Bukhari, IT Minister Imran Nazir Ansari, PHE, Flood Control and Irrigation Minister Sukhnandan Kumar and Minister of State for Power Asiya Naqash were camping in Srinagar to monitor the situation.
Mian Altaf said the land has shrunk in one of the villages leading to damage to nearly 100 houses. He demanded that the people be shifted to safer areas.
Haj and Auqaf Minister Abdul Rehman Veeri said he will get a report and reply in the second sitting.
Soon thereafter, the BJP members were again on their feet demanding inquiry into Rs 795 crores worth fraudulent withdrawals and wasteful expenditure by previous NC-Congress coalition Government, which has been pointed out by the CAG in its latest report tabled in the Legislature a day before.
“Loot Khasoot Naheen Chalegi’, the BJP MLAs shouted.
BJP MLA from Jammu West Sat Sharma CA demanded that the Speaker should reserve one full day for discussion on the CAG report as it has pointed out irregularities worth Rs 795 crores, which took place under the regime of previous NC-Congress coalition Government.
Speaker Kavinder Gupta assured the agitated members that Finance Committee of the House will inquire into the irregularities.
After this, uproar in the House came to an end and the Question Hour resumed after about 15 minutes.
Speaking to reporters outside the Assembly, Education Minister Naeem Akhter said the Government has received Justice RS Gandhi Commission report.
“We will examine findings of the report and place them before the Cabinet for further action,” he said, adding he has not read the report but seen it in a paper as the Government was busy with the budget session.
To a question as to what action the Government will take if the newspaper report turned out to be true, Akhter said the Cabinet will decide the action.
In reply to another question that first Gandhi Commission had given clean chit to Kitchloo during NC-Congress regime and his indicted him in PDP-BJP Government, Naeem said he can’t say anything till he goes through the report.
He said the Government was in middle of the budget session and will take every report very seriously. However, he added, that no report is binding on the Government.
“We will have to see terms of reference of the Inquiry Commission and take whatever action, which is in the interest of the State,” he said on being asked whether the Government will meet demand of the BJP legislators seeking arrest of Kitchloo.
NC MLA and former Speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone described the BJP protests as `politically motivated’.
“If Kitchloo had been given clean chit in preliminary report, how can he be indicted in final report”?, he asked.
Lone said action should also be taken against other MLAs, who were involved in some cases.
Minister of State for Power and BJP MLA from Kishtwar, Sunil Sharma, who had defeated Kitchloo in the Assembly elections, said the Gandhi Commission report has reached the General Administration Department and legal experts were examining it.
He said not only Kitchloo but action should also be taken against the then Chief Minister and NC leader Omar Abdullah.
“Only once action is taken against Omar, Kitchloo and others indicted by the Gandhi Commission that justice will be done to the persons, who were killed, injured or had suffered massive losses in Kishtwar riots,” Sharma said.
He added that only the final report matters and not the interim report of the Gandhi Commission, which had given clean chit to Kitchloo.
It may be mentioned here that riots had spread in Kishtwar on August 9, 2013 on the occasion of Eid festival in which three civilians were killed and some others were injured. The miscreants from majority community had damaged property of minorities worth several crores in the free-for-all riots in which police had acted like mute spectator. The riots had taken place in the presence of Kitchloo, who was then Minister of State for Home, in Kishtwar.
However, in the month of December 2013, Justice Gandhi had submitted preliminary report to the Government giving clean chit to Kitchloo. In January 2014, Kitchloo, who had been removed from the Ministry after the riots, was re-inducted into the Council of Ministry by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
Kitchloo had lost the last year’s Assembly election from Kishtwar to BJP’s Sunil Sharma. However, he was elected to the Legislative Council early this month.
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