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Opposition agitates in LA, stages walkout
KT NEWS SERVICE. Dated: 2/4/2018 6:09:31 PM
`Govt not serious about security of its people’
JAMMU, Feb 3: National Conference and Congress legislators Saturday staged a walkout agitating against Haryana incident, wherein two Kashmiri students were assaulted by a group of people. Protesting members alleged that the government was non-serious about the security of its people studying or working outside J&K.
Two J&K students from Geography department of the Central University of Haryana in Mahendragarh, had gone to the market after offering Friday prayers when they were allegedly surrounded and assaulted with sticks, bricks and helmets by a group of 15 people or so.
Though the members created uproar on the issue during Question Hour also yet they staged a walkout during Zero Hour after National Conference MLA Altaf Kaloo raising a point of information read out an SMS received from the victim students in the House. They were attacked only because they were Kashmiris, he said.
During Question Hour, they were pacified after the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs A R Veeri, who, while giving a statement, said that following the state government’s intervention, a case was registered and investigations started into the incident and three accused were arrested.
However the issue again rocked the House during Zero Hour and this time the opposition members after creating brief ruckus staged a walkout to register their protest against the government’s nonchalant attitude towards such incidents. “Your non-seriousness has put the security of our students, businessmen in other states at stake,” they said while agitating.
While moving out of the House, the opposition legislators mainly Kaloo asked the members from treasury benches also to join them in staging a walkout. “Aap Bhi Aa Jao. Aap Kashmiri Nahin Ho? (You too join us in staging a walkout. Are you not Kashmiri?)” Kaloo threw a poser towards the treasury benches, mainly aimed at PDP legislators from Kashmir.
However, what they stated was not audible in the din, BJP MLA R S Pathania said, “We all are Indians.” Upon this Kaloo was heard saying, “Woh Hamein To Indians Samajhatay Kahan Hain? Woh Kehte Hain Aap To Kashmiri Ho…(People from other states don’t consider us as Indians. They take us as only Kashmiris).”
Amid this uproar PDP MLA from Sonawar Mohammed Ashraf Mir rose and joined the cause saying, “Main Pehle Kashmiri Hoon Baad Mein Hindustani Hoon..(First I’m Kashmiri and then Indian).”
Earlier during Question Hour, the issue was raised by National Conference members including Akbar Lone and Altaf Kaloo joined by G M Saroori of Congress. Ali Mohammed Sagar, M Y Tarigami, Vikar Rasool, G M Saroori, Hakeem Yaseen also shared their concerns on the issue and asked the government to take such incidents seriously to check the trend.
“You need to immediately address the issue as our students are feeling insecure,” Gul said. Hakeem Yaseen of PDF too endorsed his point.
M Y Tarigami of CPI (M) demanded that the House should pass a single line resolution condemning the incident. “This is government’s responsibility to ensure security of its citizens. You should urge the Prime Minister to personally intervene in this matter and condemn it in the Parliament,” he said.
Kaloo said that Kashmiri students were being harassed across the country. They were not being treated as the Citizens of India, he said.
Vikar Rasool said that last year similar incident had occurred. Congress MLA G M Saroori claimed that a youth from Kishtwar was killed outside the state and demanded a statement from the government.
“Seemingly the government is not serious, this is why such incidents are recurring,” opposition members said.
Sharing the concern of members, Veeri in his statement informed the House that immediately after the incident was reported, J&K’s Principal Secretary Home on the directions of Chief Minister contacted Home Secretary of Haryana and Deputy Commissioner Mahendragarh.
He said a case was registered and investigation is taken up by the Mahendragarh police into the incident. Besides, the DGP J&K also took up the matter with DGP Haryana. So far, 3 persons were arrested and further action was being taken against the persons involved.
Giving details, the Minister said that reports were received that 2 students namely Aftab and Amjad residents of Rajouri studying in Central University Mahendragarh in Haryana were attacked by some miscreants thereby causing minor injuries to them.
With regard to another incident of detention of Kashmiri student by railway police, the Minister informed the House that a group of students from SKUAST after completing their training course at Bhopal boarded a train from Bhopal to Delhi.
Reportedly, in the train a woman clicked a photograph with a caption which created confusion in which railway police detained one of the students Muhammad Idrees of Anantnag district, he said.
However, on the intervention of SKUAST and police authorities, the student was released and was on his way back to Kashmir, the minister informed.
During Zero Hour, while raising the issue, Kaloo said all J&K students had threatened to come back from the Varsity if their security was not ensured. Akbar Lone said , “Sab Ladke Wahan Se Nikal Aayengay.”
“Their security is at the stake and we’re attending House’s proceedings, this is not done. We’ll stage a walkout,” Kaloo said. Later talking to reporters, Sagar said the attack on students outside the state is leading to alienation which is very dangerous.
“An impression goes especially in the Valley that we are not safe and secure which is a wrong signal,” he said and demanded stern action against the “fringe elements” involved in such attacks.
He said that such persons cannot be friends of the country and are enemies of the nation.
“Everyone is free to go anywhere in any college or university and if he is restricted in the name of religion, region or state, that is not a good thing,” the MLA said.
During Question Hour, the opposition members also queried why the government had called an an all-party meeting to discuss upcoming panchayat elections, when it has already taken all decisions in this regard.
After National Conference MLA Ali Mohammad Sagar questioned the logic behind holding an all-party meeting over panchayat elections “when everything has been decided”, Veeri said, “we are serious about the meeting which is being chaired by the chief minister herself.
“It is the decision of the cabinet and the outcome of the all-party meet will be discussed at the cabinet and its decision will be final,” he said.
As soon as the House assembled for day’s proceedings, BJP state president Sat Sharma drew the attention of the house to the the death of three Army personnel in an avalanche in Gurez sector of Bandipora district in north Kashmir and the force rescuing a civilian patient despite adverse weather condition yesterday.
“The opposition should also acknowledge and praise the sacrifice and the rescue effort of the Army… They only consider it their duty to criticise the forces,” he said amid thumping of desks by the BJP legislators.
Deputy Speaker Nazir Ahmad Gurezi, during the question hour, said the Indian Air Force and the army were doing a great service to the nation which is praise worthy.
The question hour passed off peacefully barring a walkout by BJP legislator Choudhary Sukhnadan over “non-satisfactory” answer to his question related to farmers.
Later in the House requested MLA Langate Engineer Rashid to end his boycott and join the proceedings. Prior to this, the Deputy Speaker Nazir Gurezi read a detailed enquiry report vis-à-vis alleged misbehavior with MLA Langate by the Watch and Ward Staff on January 16, 2018. Tarigami and Kaloo too joined him in the appeal to Engineer Rashid.
Upon this, Veeri informed the House that he too had telephoned Engineer Rashid to request him to attend House’s proceedings to raise his people’s issues.