Kishtwar SPO killings trigger political war, NC targets Shagun Parihar over mosque remarks
The killing of two Special Police Officers (SPOs) in Kishtwar has snowballed into a political controversy with the ruling National Conference (NC) MLAs criticising BJP MLA Shagun Parihar for alleging that provocative announcements were made from the local mosque.
Reacting to her comments in a video, NC MLA Javed Iqbal Choudhary wrote on social media “The statement made by Hon’ble MLA Shagun Parihar, deliberately dragging a mosque and loudspeakers into the matter and falsely linking them to the suspicious killing of two police personnel, is highly deplorable and strongly condemnable”.
“The BJP cannot shield its failures on every front by resorting to religious polarisation and divisive narratives. Such irresponsible statements only vitiate the atmosphere and undermine communal harmony”.
“She must immediately apologise for her remarks and refrain from politicising sensitive issues for political gains”, Choudhary added.
NC spokesman Imran Nabi Dar wrote”…..exploiting a tragedy for political mileage is shameful”.
BJP leaders vented their anger in the presence of IGP (Jammu Range) Tejinder Singh and DIG (Doda-Kishtwar Range) Sargun Shukla, when the police officers visited Kishtwar.
Leader of Opposition and BJP MLA Sunil Sharma alleged that the killings aimed at ethnic cleansing from the area and also slammed the police for its “incompetence”.
Shagun Parihar questioned how the bodies of the slain personnel were “disrespected” by transporting the mortal remains in a dumper truck without even being placed in coffins.
The BJP MLA also questioned the “conspicuous delay” in the visit of senior police officers to Kishtwar, claiming that they turned up only three days after the incident and that too after the matter was raised with New Delhi and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha. Videos of her confronting the police over the treatment meted out to the mortal remains of the slain SPOs and the delayed response of senior officers have brought the growing anger within the BJP into sharp focus. The Police and law and order in J&K are looked after by the Home Ministry and LG.
During the visit of the IGP and DIG to the house of the two slain SPOs in the remote Dechhan area of Kishtwar district, Shagun Parihar became emotional and alleged that the bodies of two SPOs, Rashpal Singh and Bobby Chand, were brought to their native village in a dumper truck without coffins.
“If the Police itself insults the mortal remains of the martyrs then what can be expected from the terrorists”, she is heard shouting at the top police officers. “These people cannot understand the pain and suffering of the affected families,” she said.