Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Assembly witnessed protests over civilian killings by army in Shopian district of south Kashmir last weekend.
As soon as the House assembled after three days this morning, members of opposition National Conference joined by Congress stood up from their seats. PDP MLA Ashraf Mir also joined in.
The opposition members including Ali Moahmamd Sagar, Abdul Majeed Larmi, Altaf Kaloo and others shouted slogans and demanded action against the army for civilian killings.
The legislators also lashed out at BJP MLA Ravinder Rana for his remarks justifying the army firing.
The BJP legislator Ravinder Raina, who is MLA Nowshera, had said that “army did the right thing” by opening fire. Two teenage civilians were killed and several others injured when army opened the fire.
Raina had also dared the police to register as many FIRs but insisted that army enjoys the “impunity under Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).”
“There is nothing like magisterial enquiry. Army enjoys impunity under AFSPA in Jammu and Kashmir, army has its own court. Lodge FIR as many as you want, police FIRs don’t work (against army), “ he had said.
“What army did was an act of self defence, for the security of the nation and as per law…it was extremely important and much needed…this was very important…army did the right thing,” he had said addressing reporters on the sidelines of an army function in Nowshera.
In the aftermath of killing of two civilians in a shoot-out at Ganowpora village of Shopian district on Saturday, Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti spoke to Defence Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman and expressed anguish over the loss of lives in the incident.
The Chief Minister said every civilian killing, notwithstanding how erroneously made, impairs the political process in the State which has been put on track after hard work by all political parties, an official statement said.
The Defence Minister assured the Chief Minister that she would seek a detailed report in this regard and would impress upon the field formations that mechanisms put in place are strictly adhered to so that such incidents do not recur in future, the statement said.
Earlier, it said, the Chief Minister directed the district administration to conduct a probe into the incident and come up with findings at the earliest.
