The Opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has upped the ante in its tirade against chief minister Omar Abdullah’s government, seizing the recent mysterious death of a ruling National Conference (NC) worker in police custody as bedrock.
As its second adjournment motion notice moved on Tuesday in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, the last day of its short Autumn Session, over the incident was rejected by the Speaker, the PDP took the issue out on the streets on Wednesday. Dozens of party activists led by its president Mehbooba Mufti and other senior leaders began a protest march towards Lal Chowk from the party headquarters along Residency Road here. However, the riot police soon came in their way and stopped them from relocating to Srinagar’s historic central square.
At Regal Chowk, about a furlong from Lal Chowk, the PDP protesters were in order to avert a clash politely told by senior police officials that prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC were in force in the summer capital and since the party had not obtained requisite permission for taking out the procession it would be appropriate for them to disperse peacefully. The PDP activists, however, chose to stage a brief protest sit-in withdrawing from the scene and return to the nearby party headquarters.
While addressing them, Ms Mufti pledged to continue with the protests “till killings and murders stop.” She said it was important to put up a “decisive fight” against what she alleged was rampant corruption at the highest level in the state government. The “disclosures” reportedly made by NC worker Syed Muhammad Yusuf Shah before his “murder” killing only uncovered the ground reality, she said. Shah, 62, died soon after the chief minister had handed him over to the officials of state police’s crime branch following the discovery that he had allegedly promised two other party workers ministerial berth and other senior positions in the government in exchange for huge amounts of money.
The CM has termed the PDP charge that he manhandled Shah or he or his father Farooq Abdullah were in the wrong as beneath contempt and said he would sue those who were publicly accusing him of homicide and bribery. The police said the NC worker died of a cardio-respiratory arrest or heart attack and that preliminary autopsy report signed by a board of doctors confirms it and also says that the deceased’s corpse bore no torture marks as is being alleged by the Opposition.
The state government has ordered a judicial probe into the mysterious death. She said in order to ensure an impartial probe the CM and state home minister Nasir Aslam Wani should resign.
She asked as to why no case has been registered against NC president and Union minister Farooq Abdullah for whom the money had been allegedly collected by the deceased.