Early Times Report
JAMMU, Apr 8: Indeed, it is a major development in Jammu & Kashmir which is being governed by PDP-BJP. The development as it unfolded clearly suggested that the coalition government could collapse anytime. The only question which one can ask is: Who will quit the government first and when? The PDP, which is leading the government and implementing its Kashmir-centric agenda meticulously, or the BJP, which has been behaving like a B-Team or C-team, whatever one may call it?
How else should one interpret the decision of the J&K BJP to field not one or two spokespersons, but four spokespersons to question the very intentions of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti as far as the probe into the alleged Rasana Murder case was concerned? These included chief spokesperson Sunil Sethi and Brig Anil Gupta, former IGP SS Bijral and Arun Gupta.
What the BJP spokespersons said about the composition of the Crime Branch investigating team was a direct attack on the Chief Minister, as she also holds the home portfolio. And what they said vindicated the agitating people of Kathua and the agitating Jammu lawyers and civil society groups demanding a probe into the unfortunate incident by CBI; withdrawal of the controversial minutes of the Tribal Affairs Department, which encouraged land grabbing in Jammu, Kathua, Samba and Udhampur districts in particular; deportation of Rohingya-Bangladeshi illegal immigrants from Jammu; and district status for Nowshera-Kalakot-Sunderbani area of Jammu province. The people of Kathua, the Jammu lawyers and civil society groups had been questioning the very composition the Crime Branch team investigating the case, saying three out of five members of the investigating team were from Kashmir and the credentials of two of them were "doubtful". Notwithstanding the fact that the BJP spokespersons on Saturday asserted that the Rassana issue was sub-judice and no intervention at this stage was warranted except legal remedies, they expressed concern that "one of the members of SIT namely Irfan Wani, In-charge Kahara Police Post, was arrested in 2007 for murder of a boy and alleged rape of a girl during illegal custody".
How could a person of such a character be associated with the present investigation and is likely to raise doubts on the fairness of the investigation?, they asked. It bears recalling that in Aril 2007, Prem Nagar and Thathri areas of Doda district had witnessed massive protests in the wake of the death of a local youth, Rishi Kumar, in police custody. Not just this, sister of Rishi Kumar had leveled "rape" allegation against the then in-charge of police post, Irfan Wani. All this had forced the authorities to get a case of murder and rape registered against him. The four BJP spokespersons questioning the association of Irfan Wani with the investigating team has changed the whole scenario and put the Chief Minister in the dock. This could lead to any situation; even the collapse of the ragtag coalition government. |
