Both Houses of the Jammu & Kashmir Assembly on Wednesday witnessed walkouts by the Opposition over the killing of a civilian in Kulgam. National Conference (NC) working president and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah sought a statement from Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti over the “deteriorating law-and-order situation”.
“The government has no moral responsibility to rule if it thinks civilian killings were not an issue. The person killed had not picked up any gun. He had bullet on his throat. Even a Minister acknowledged it. Are bullets fired on the ground or in the air? We want to ask Ms. Mufti,” said Mr. Abdullah.
He said Ms. Mufti's entire political foundation was based on raising human rights issues and excesses by security forces. “Today, she has done a complete 180 degree turn,” he said.
The legislators of both NC and Congress, besides the CPI(M) and Independent legislator Engineer Rashid, staged a walkout in both the Houses.
Earlier, Speaker Kavinder Gupta disallowed any debate as the Opposition moved an adjournment motion over the Kulgam incident.
“The government is trying to shy away from the debate to hide its failures,” said NC legislator Ali Muhammad Sagar.
Congress leader Rigzin Jora said, “The government has failed to imbibe a sense of security among the people in all the three regions of the State and denies even a debate on innocent killings”.
In a separate statement, NC president Farooq Abdullah described the security situation in the State as “of grave concern”.
“A shadow of fear has been cast over the (upcoming) panchayat election process. It’s alarming and unfortunate. The security scenario is a matter of serious concern and underlines the political vacuum that has resulted in accentuating the alienation on the ground, especially among the youth,” Dr. Abdullah said.
The government ordered a probe into the killing of the student, Khalid Ahmed Dar. The victim’s father alleged his son was “targeted”.
