PDP condemns Bandipora killing

Present dispensation responsible for vitiating peace:  Mehbooba

GNS Srinagar, July 25: Strongly condemning Aloosa Bandipora incident where a youth Hilal Ahmad Dar has been killed in suspicious circumstances, Ms Mehbooba Mufti president Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that such incidents won’t stop till the troops are withdrawn from civilian areas in Kashmir.

“With the improvement in security scenario the PDP has always been pleading for withdrawl of troops from civilian areas since so many years now. The PDP believes that such incidents won’t stop till there exist an army build-up in civilian areas of Kashmir,” Ms Mehbooba remarked.

Terming the incident unfortunate, Ms Mehbooba said violence in any form and in any society should have no space. “People of Kashmir are yet to come out from the shock of 2010 civilian killings.  Even on last Sunday night, a shepherd was injured in a firing incident at Malangam Bandipora,” Ms Mehbooba remarked.

She said the killing of Dar in peaceful month of Ramadhan, has created an atmosphere of fear and insecurity throughout the Valley and people fear to tread out of their homes to offer Ramdhan prayers in mosques.

Ms Mehbooba stated that seeking inquiries and commissions in such incidents has lost its meaning given the swelling number of such official reports gathering dust in government offices. “Demanding an inquiry has been rendered useless by the present government as till date no action has been taken after such inquiries aginst the erring security force personnel. Even the latest example of Boniyar killing in which CISF personnel have been indicted for a youth’s killing, has exposed the functioning and weakness of the present government. We have many examples wherein the state police personnel are involved in innocent civilian killings of 2010 but not a single person has been booked and brought to justice sofar by the present government,” she stressed.  

The PDP president observed that the National Conference led coalition government has failed to sustain the hard gained sense of peace and security achieved after 2002 by the PDP led coalition government. “Not to talk of building upon the atmosphere of peace and tranquility achieved by the PDP after putting in hard efforts in its brief tenure but the present dispensation has miserably failed to sustain that sense of security and feeling of peace which is evident from Dar’s killing,” she said while expressing solidarity and heartfelt condolences to the beraved family.

Mr Nizam-u-Din Bhat, MLA Bandipora has also condemned the incident saying the youth killed in Aloosa was an innocent civilian working a private factory. “The killing of Dar is killing of his entire family as he was the lone bread winner in his home.  The youth had not even remote connection with the militancy. The culprits of this heinous crime must be booked and brought to justice,” he demanded while expressing solidarity with the bereaved family.

Mr Nayeem Akhter, Party chief spokesperson has also condemned the incident saying the way Dar has been killed under mysterious cirmcumtances smacks of something fishy in the incident. “Such incident is highly deplorable. Besides his killing, we also condemn the way protesters carrying body of Dar were baton charged at Onagam village and the body of the slain youth desicrated,” Mr Akhter observed.