JAMMU: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah told the assembly that the deputy Chief minister was prevented from visiting Kathua where three civilians were killed in mysterious conditions. However, Leader of Opposition, Sunil Shamra was permitted to visit the area.
Speaking during zero hour after some lawmakers raise the issue of the three killings in the remote district, Chief Minister decided to make a statement. He said Deputy Chief Minister had told him on Saturday that he will be visiting the area on Sunday. He informed the administration about his visit.
On Sunday, however, the number of security men around his residence was increased and he was conveyed that his visit to the villages may not be feasible. “When he rang me up, I told him to get in touch with IGP Jammu but he eventually met SP Kathua who said the visit may have law and order issues,” Omar said. “We decided to not go with the visit.”
However, the administration permitted LoP Sunil Shumar, senior BJP Leader to visit the same area and it did not create any law-and-order issue, Omar regretted. He asked the police to explain the dichotomy in permitted LoP and preventing Deputy Chief Minister from visiting the area.
While Sharma wanted to respond to the issue, Chief Minister asserted that he has not sought any explanation from him. Instead, it is the police to respond to.
Later, however, Shmara told the House that he as been talking to the Home Minister Amit Shah for the last three days. Even today before coming to the assembly, I had a talk with him. The Home Minister, Sharma said had told him that the MHA has sent senior officer to the area and they will be tackling all issues. Sharma said he had visited the area to see if it was happening. We had not gone for any politics, he said.
The bodies of Varun Singh (15), his paternal uncle Yogesh Singh (32) and maternal uncle Darshan Singh (40) were found from the Ishu nullah in the remote Malhar area in the higher reaches of Kathua on Saturday. The trio had gone missing on March 5 during a wedding function.
The postmortem of the deceased was conducted by a specially-constituted doctors’ team at a Kathua hospital and the bodies were handed over to their families for the last rites.
The bodies reached the homes of the deceased late on Sunday evening and the cremation will take place on Monday, officials said.
