Jammu: Slamming the Jammu and Kashmir government for “disarming” the police and CRPF in Kashmir valley and making them “targets” to terror attacks, Opposition parties today staged a walkout over the killing of five CRPF personnel by militants in Srinagar.
As the House began today’s proceedings, opposition BJP, JKNPP and JSM stood up from their benches and sought the decision of Deputy Speaker Sartaj Madni over their adjournment motion for discussion over the grave situation arising due to militant attacks on unarmed security personnel in the valley.
Madni, who was in the chair, rejected the adjournment motion maintaining that Speaker Mubarak Gul had condemned the incident where CRPF personnel were killed in firing yesterday, along with the government.
On this, the opposition parties of BJP, JKNPP, JSM resorted to protests and asked if the issue of Afzal Guru could be discussed in the House, then why not the martyrs of CRPF and the police force.
The Opposition resorted to sloganeering for some time as they also demanded the resignation of the government.
“It is very sad that we cannot raise the issue of martyrs and discuss them here. The adjournment motion brought by us was rejected on martyrs but the adjournment motion on Guru by opposition PDP, ruling NC and CPI(M) was admitted and discussed,” JKNPP member Balwant Singh Mankotia said.
“You (government) had disarmed the police and security personnel and made them targets of the militants. Government is responsible for that killings,” he said.
He was supported by JSM member Ashwani Sharma, who accused the government of putting in place a new policy to deal with militancy by handing the CRPF and police with only sticks.
BJP’s Ashok Khajuria alleged the government was flagging the issue of revocation of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and disarming the security personnel to boost the morale of terrorism in Kashmir valley.
“They are responsible for the killings of unarmed policemen and CRPF personnel in (the) valley,” he alleged.
On the issue, CPI(M) member M Y Tarigami said they had condemned the incident of killing of the CRPF jawans and the government had given an elaborate reply on it.
“We also demand the reply from the government on the killing of youth in the firing,” he said while referring to the death of a 22-year-old in Srinagar yesterday.
Speaking to media persons, Minister of State for Home Sajjad Ahmed Kitchloo denied allegations of disarming of CRPF.
Congress Minister Sham Lal Sharma termed the issue as sensitive and said it would be discussed in the Cabinet and there was a need to revisit this policy.
Two unarmed Constables Santosh Kumar and Azad Chand of Indian Reserve Police (IRP) were shot at by militants from point blank range in Handwara town of Kashmir valley on March 2. They were carrying non-lethal arms at the time.
