Early Times Report
Srinagar, Feb 2: People of Raiyaar village of Budgam today staged protest in Srinagar against a former militant turned sarpanch alleging that he was indulging in score of unlawful and unethical activities besides embezzling government funds in connivance with some government officers of the district. According to the residents of area, Sarpanch identified as Mohammad Maqbool Mir has spread a reign of terror in the area and is repeatedly beating the locals with support of other Panchs by openly flashing his gun. They alleged that the Sarpanch is involved in embezzlement of funds meant for the IAY and MGNREGA schemes and recently beat an RTI activist who dared to expose his tactics of siphoning off Government funds. "He distributed the IAY and MGNREGA works among his own men after taking a huge amount of money from them as commission and after a local RTI activist complained to the officials, he thrashed him. Neither any case of corruption was registered against him administration is taking any action against him," said Secretary, RTI Raiyar Bureau Unit, Ghulam Qadir Mir. Besides embezzlement, the protestors, which also included a few of his relatives levelled more serious allegation against the sarpanch in question. One Mohammad Amin, a teenager, accused him of killing his mother. According to Amin, on April 24, 2011, Mir came to their house and asked my mother Naseema to vote for him. " When she refused, he damaged the entire household and badly hit my mother in her belly, leaving her in terrible pain. She died next day, but there is no police case against him," Amin said. Interestingly, among the protestors was the sister of the Saprpanch, along with her son who had a deep head injury. "He wants to kill me and my family and Police would not take complaints against him" said Raja. Villagers said Mir even looted Rs 90,000 that was raised for the local mosque along with his henchmen which include few government officials as well. Protestors alleged that Mir was a militant and no one had ever interrogated him or questioned him about his weapons. One of the members of the delegation was carrying a coloured photograph of Mir in full battle gear and aiming at something with an AK rifle.
According to the Police, anger against sarpanch was actually out of his family dispute which later divided the whole village in two groups and two FIRs no,7 US 147, 323, 341 and no, 8 US, 147, 295, 427 are filed by both the groups, against each other. |
