Srinagar, May 06 (KNS): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Kashmir unit has decided to stage a protest in Srinagar tomorrow against the killing of its workers in the parts of the state.
Talking to Kashmir News Service (KNS), BJP State General Secretary organization Ashok Koul said: “it is unfortunate that our leaders and workers are being killed. We have decided to protest in press enclave Srinagar tomorrow to ask government for providing safety to BJP leaders and workers.”
He said that the killing of BP leader Gul Mohammad Mir in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district has raised question mark over mechanism adopted in security of political leaders and workers in the State.
Koul added that Mir, the district vice-president of BJP for Anantnag, was associated with the BJP since past 20 years.
Mir had unsuccessfully contested assembly elections for Dooru assembly segment in 2008 and 2014.
Meanwhile one of the leaders in BJP wishing anonymity told KNS that as a mark of protest, the BJP leaders in the state, including Ashok Koul will surrender their security tomorrow. “Our leadership had forwarded letter to the concerned SSP for security of Gul Mohammad Mir, killed in south Kashmir, but the security was not provided to him,” the leader claimed.
A senior police officer however said that Mir was not provided security as he was “not categorised” for protection.
“Security is given to those who are categorized by government,” he said.
Mir’s killing is fourth such killing since 2017.
Shabir Ahmad Bhat, BJP youth president for Pulwama district, was killed in August 2018; Ghulam Nabi Patail, BJP worker from Shadimarg area in Pulwama, was killed in April 2018 and Gowhar Bhat, party’s youth president for Shopian, was killed in November 2017.
The Governor administration in February this year withdrew security cover of over 900 people, thereby freeing 2,768 police personnel and 389 vehicles.
Those persons, whose security was withdrawn in the aftermath of Pulwama attack in February in which 40 CRPF were killed, included mainstream politicians and separatists.
However, the State Security Review Coordination Committee (SRCC) restored security cover of over 400 politicians after political parties complained to Election Commission of India that withdrawal of security was a “conspiracy to sabotage” the election process and jeopardise the safety of political workers in the conflict -hit State.
Meanwhile in the wake of killing of a BJP leader in Anantnag district, Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik has directed the chief secretary to get an enquiry conducted into the killings of political people in the last few months.
Sources said that the governor has asked for identifying any lapses on the part of security agencies regarding ensuring the security of political people and has emphasized that from now onwards, all political people should be protected at at every cost. (KNS)