Government adds to Shopian grief by severe curfew: Mehbboba

Srinagar, September 16(Scoop News)-Terming the medical education minister’s statement about Shopian killings as part of the standard response of the state government to every atrocity committed by it, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Monday said the government has not been able to take even the initial mandatory steps for investigating the matter.
In a statement, the party president, Mehbooba Mufti said while the government is doing everything to hush up the killing of five innocents in Shopian by imposing curfew and restriction, the police has not even entertained the FIR lodged by the father of Tawseef Ahmad, on e of the victims of the CRPF carnage.
Mehbooba said Taj Mohi-u-Din’s statement is not the first of its kind to subvert the probe into an atrocity, Omar Abdullah, before him has done it on a number of times. The chief minister, she said had proclaimed that Aasiya and Neelofar, the two unfortunate girls from the same town had drowned even before the probe was ordered.
Similarly, in case of Gool killings, he (Omar Abdullah) accused a molvie of creating trouble, even before any investigation was taken up into the coldblooded murder of four innocent persons killed by unprovoked firing by BSF.
Taj Mohi-u-Din, she recalled was the minster who took it upon himself to give a clean chit to chief minister in the Haji Yousuf case of suspicious death and corruption in the Abdullah family.
Mehbooba said life has become impossible in Shopian, Kulgam and Pulwama areas, especially in Shopian, where people are raising their voice for justice. And, the government, instead of taking any action on it, is punishing the entire people by uninterrupted curfew and restrictions. She said the essential commodities are running out in those areas and access to medical facilities is impossible. She said the fruit trade has taken a sever hit because of curfew and restrictions imposed by the government.
Mehbooba said the government is using curfew to facilitate photo ops and controversial statements by its ministers and govt politicians, but is preventing the opposition to reach out to people. She said, she was detained while on her way to Shopian which is represented by her and her party in the assembly. “And, now her movement to other places too, has been restricted as her vehicles are not allowed to report for fear of her going to Shopian, even though she had intended to go somewhere else.”
Mehbooba said the ruling coalition, having foreseen a rout in the coming elections, is trying to ensure minimum participation of people in them, so that they could benefit in the rural areas also, as they are doing in Srinagar and other urban centres.
She said Taj Mohi-u-Din’s controversial statement is akin to rubbing salt into the wounds and by resorting to such statement most often, he (Taj) is behaving more loyal than the king. Even though, the state congress chief, Saif-u-Din Soz has asked for an “independent inquiry”, from union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, into the Shopian incident, Taj Mohi-u-Din’s statement is in sharp contrast to the official position taken by the Congrees.
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