People’s Democratic Party leader Iltija Mufti on Monday criticised the police handling of the recent killing of three civilians in Kathua, including a 14-year-old boy and demanded an impartial probe into the incident.
Mufti expressed concern that the police are not behaving neutrally, citing the fact that BJP leaders were allowed to visit Billawar in the Kathua district of J&K while she and her team were denied permission.
“We wanted to visit Billawar, but the leaders of BJP were allowed to go. We are worried that the police are not behaving in a neutral way. The youngest victim is a 14-year-old. We demand an impartial probe,” said the PDP leader.
Mufti’s comments come after she was denied permission to visit the affected area while BJP leaders were allowed to go.
Despite police claims of normalcy, Mufti pointed out that the incident raises concerns about the police’s ability to perform their duties.
“Police here is stating that everything is normal. If everything is normal here, then how are such big incidents taking place here, ” Mufti told reporters, referring to the killing of three youths.
She also referred to her previous month’s visit to the Billawar, a town in the Kathua district, stating that “people had fear and fear of police more than the militants”. I am not saying that everyone has a bad name among the police…If such incidents are taking place here, it is a border district”.
The PDP leader stressed that police need to be more careful in order to prevent such incidents.
“Police should be more careful. They have to be vigilant. Somewhere, the responsibility comes to the police. And unfortunately, it seems police are not able to discharge their duty properly,” the PDP leader said.
Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary condemned the killings.
Three people who went missing in the Kathua district were found dead by security forces in a river on Saturday, triggering protests in the area.
The leader of Opposition (LoP) of the JK Assembly, Sunil Sharma, expressed his concern, saying the central government is very worried about the situation and that whoever is behind the incident will not be spared.
“All the MLAs went to Kathua and met the families of the deceased. We discussed on the events leading to their deaths and informed the Union Home Minister, who ensured that action will be taken according to the outcome of the investigation… Central government is very worried about the situation and whoever is behind the incident will not be spared at all,” Sharma told ANI.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has also ordered an investigation into the incident. — (ANI)
