5 ministers face charges of power abuse, sexual assault
SRINAGAR: The resignation of a top state official in protest against the abusive behavior of a minister is only an addition to the long list of politico-bureaucratic clash, which has become only too prominent ever since Omar Abdullah assumed office on 5 January 2009. Before the Transport Minister Choudhary Ramzan’s totalitarian poser during a meeting with Chief of the Public Health Engineering department on Thursday, several ministers of the coalition government have resorted to such totalitarian acts with the state officials.
Early this year a congress minister Shabir Ahmad Khan’s alleged sexual assault on a nurse anguished the entire fraternity of doctors. It was only after the intervention of Chief Judicial Magistrate Srinagar that a case vide FIR number 14 under Sections 354 (assault or criminal force on a woman with the intention to outrage modesty of a woman) and 509 (act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the RPC was registered against the minister at Police Station Shaheed Gunj. The complainant is still crying for justice.
Last summer a senior official of the state administrative service was slapped by the junior home minister Sajjad Kitchloo and then beaten up by workers for being five-minute late at a conference. The minister slapped the official in presence of district superintendent of police and district commissioner in Kisthwar, about 300 Kms north of Jammu city. Riyaz Ahmad Choudhary (CEO Kishtwar Development Authority) had filed an FIR against the criminal act of the minister. The Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had regretted the incident but that was found insufficient to restore the self-respect of the deeply hurt official.
Same year, two months after Kitchloo’s slapping of top official, the Health employees in Jammu and Kashmir threatened to go on an agitation after minister of state Shabir Ahmed Khan allegedly slapped an employee during his inspection visit to the Directorate of Health Services .
Jammu & Kashmir Minister Mohammad Akbar Lone on Wednesday slapped a youth when he shouted during Chief Minister Omar Abdullahs speech at an election meeting but the CM later stepped in and promised to address his grievance.
In April this year, the Minister for Higher Education Muhammad Akbar Lone during a campaign rally in his hometown Sonawari, came down from the dais and slapped a youth Hilal Ahmad while the police were whisking him and his brother away after they shouted We want justice. The minister too several weeks to regret the display of hooliganism.
Not just ministers but their kin too wield unbridled power in Kashmir. Last month the Forest Minister Mian Altaf’s son, Mir Ali thrashed a man inside Kangan police station for complaining against his employees.
Ali, according to reports, assaulted Mohammad Sadiq of Baba Nagri Kangan for filing a complaint against three men, who had allegedly beaten his wife.
Official sources said Ali managed to free three persons, including a special police officer, accused of beating Sadiqs wife. In a similar incident in South Kashmir, a National Conference worker flanked by his armed guards stormed a police station and thrashed the police inspector and his guards. The misuse of political power may not be unique to Kashmir yet it is rampant here and the claims of democratic governance are rendered asunder in full public view.
Follow this link to join our WhatsApp group: Join Now
Be Part of Quality Journalism |
Quality journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce and despite all the hardships we still do it. Our reporters and editors are working overtime in Kashmir and beyond to cover what you care about, break big stories, and expose injustices that can change lives. Today more people are reading Kashmir Observer than ever, but only a handful are paying while advertising revenues are falling fast. |
| ACT NOW |
| MONTHLY | Rs 100 |  |
| YEARLY | Rs 1000 | |
| LIFETIME | Rs 10000 | |
