Srinagar: Describing Village Defence Committees as the source of communal tension and disharmony, Chairman Awami Ittihad Party and MLA Langate Er Rashid Tuesday claimed that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah succumbed to the pressure of Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and sought resignation from Sajad Ahmad Kitchloo to placate the Congress party.
Er Rashid, who along with party leaders on Monday visited the Kishtwar district, said he would file a PIL in the High Court for disbanding of Village Defence Committees (VDCs).
Omar Abdullah was forced to seek resignation from Kitchloo. He is a weak CM who was dictated by Azad and to placate New Delhi leadership Kitchloo was made a scape-goat, Rashid told reporters during a press conference in Srinagar.
He said the Congress had apprehensions that communal violence would cut its vote share in Kishtwar. So in order to save Congress vote bank, Kitchloo was forced to abdicate by the Chief Minister.
Chairman AIP questioned the government over this step, saying no action was taken when more than one hundred were butchered during 2010 unrest in the Valley. Even the retired DGP was rewarded and appointed to Chief Vigilance Commissioner.
Kitchloo was sacked only to appease Hindu vote bank and New Delhi but no action was taken against culprits involved in killing of 120-youth because they were Muslims, Er Rashid asserted.
He claimed that communal violence which erupted in Kishtwar on Eid-ul-Fitr was pre-planned and the state administration facilitated the riots for vote bank politics and takes side of Hindu community.
MLA Langate said NC, BJP and Congress were playing dirty politics, which could have serious repercussions in future.
Coming down heavily on the government for not taking action against VDC members, Rashid said he would file a PIL in the High Court for disbanding of VDCs.
He claimed VDCs are state sponsored terrorist outfits, who have been involved in criminalize and commercialise the situation there and is a blot on Indian secularism and democracy.
He also demanded that all weapons, which were given to VDC members, should be seized immediately.
He said Muslims had not raised any provocative slogans against the Hindu community on the day of Eid-ul-Fitr. He said a Hindu youth in Kishtwar was killed in police firing, while as two Muslims were killed by a mob of miscreants.
Replying to a question how he was allowed to visit Kishtwar, when other leaders were barred from visiting to the area, he said, They are VIPs. We went there as commoners. We were arrested soon after we were identified, however till that time we had assessed the situation on ground level, he said.
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