KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
National Conference on Thursday demanded the immediate disbanding of Village Defence Committees (VDCs) and said the State Government would be squarely responsibly for loss of innocent lives at the hands of VDC members if it fails to do so.
NC Chief Spokesperson while condemning the tragic murder of a mother-son duo in Rajouri at the hands of a VDC member said National Conference would not hesitate to launch a long and sustained mass agitation over this issue if the PDP-BJP alliance continues its patronization of the armed committees.
“We express profound grief and sorrow over the murder of a mother and son duo in Rajouri by a VDC member. This is another tragedy to have befallen the State after the equally tragic murder of NC Youth Leader Ishtiyaq Chaudhary of Kalakote by a VDC member. We condemn these murders in the strongest of terms and demand the culprits be brought to the book without any delay and without an iota of patronization and political shielding. The anger among the public is brewing due to these tragic murders being committed by VDC members and the PDP-BJP alliance’s refusal to acknowledge this anger is disappointing and tragic,” NC Chief Spokesperson said in a Party statement.
The NC Chief Spokesperson said the PDP-BJP coalition was “using the Village Defence Committees as political militia to silence dissent”, adding, “an atmosphere of insecurity has been created to further sinister political agenda in the State”.
“Having been exposed as a complete failure, the PDP-BJP Government is now using VDCs to exert a repressive, extra-judicial influence on the people through such tactics. The Chief Minister of the State who holds the charge of the Home Minister is personally responsible for such incidents and it is his duty to prevent the VDCs from inflicting any more harm on innocent civilians,” NC Chief Spokesperson added.
