Violence in Kishtwar during bandh, DC office attacked
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Apr 27: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is likely to hand over the case pertaining to killing of RSS leader Chanderkant Sharma and his PSO Rajinder Kumar in Kishtwar to the National Investigating Agency (NIA) in view of involvement of same group and militants, who had executed the killings of BJP leader Anil Parihar and his brother Ajit Parihar, whose case is already being investigated by the NIA.
Meanwhile, the MHA today handed over the case of failed attempt by Hizbul Mujahideen to attack para-military CRPF convoy at Banihal on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway on March 30 to the NIA. The Banihal case was given to the NIA as it was also similar to February 14 Pulwama attack by Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in which 44 CRPF personnel were martyred. Pulwama case is also being investigated by the NIA.
Official sources told the Excelsior that with a breakthrough in the killing of top RSS functionary remaining elusive even after 18 days of terror attack and people hitting the streets of Kishtwar today and turning violent by damaging office of Deputy Commiss-ioner, Kishtwar Angrez Singh Rana, the Home Ministry was likely to hand over this case to the NIA as well.
Large number of people including women today took to streets in Kishtwar town under the banner of Sanatan Dharam Sabha (SDS), which had given call for Kishtwar bandh to protest failure of the authorities to arrest the killers of Chanderkant and Parihar brothers, and held massive demonstration outside the office of the Deputy Commissioner this morning.
Some of the youths turned violent and subjected office of Angrez Singh Rana to heavy stone pelting, causing damage to it. They also pelted stones on official vehicles parked outside the office, damaging them. Mob was shouting slogans against the Deputy Commissioner describing him as “inefficient”.
Protesters tried to storm the office of Rana but police prevented them from doing so. They dispersed after sometime. Earlier, the people marched in a procession in Kishtwar town protesting against the killing of Chanderkant Sharma and his PSO Rajinder Kumar by the militants in District Hospital Kishtwar on April 9 and failure of administration to arrest the accused.
Shops and business establishments of minority community remained closed in Kishtwar town in response to the bandh call given by the Sanatan Dharam Sabha.
Sabha president Hans Raj Bhutyal told the Excelsior that even 18 days after the killing of the RSS leader, no breakthrough has been made by police. He demanded that both DC and SSP Kishtwar should be shifted from Kishtwar as the people have lost faith in them. He demanded revival of Special Operations Group (SOG) and strengthening of the Village Defence Committees (VDCs) in Kishtwar.
Bhutyal regretted that no senior officer from the Governor’s administration has bothered to visit Kishtwar in the aftermath of killings as if nothing has happened.
Protesters also burnt effigy of Governor Satya Pal Malik in the town before dispersing.
Kishtwar police has, meanwhile, registered a First Information Report (FIR) in damage caused to the Deputy Commissioner’s office in stone pelting by the protesters. However, no arrests have been made so far.
SSP Kishtwar Shakti Pathak and Additional SP Kishtwar Nassir Khan were monitoring the situation in Kishtwar, where curfew remained in force from 10 pm to 4 am.
Sources indicated that the Government was likely to order reshuffle in the district level administration of Kishtwar to contain strong resentment brewing among the people against three major terror attacks during past five months and failure of police to make breakthrough in any of them.
Further, according to sources, the MHA was likely to handover the case pertaining to the killing of RSS leader Chanderkant Sharma to the NIA as investigations so far revealed that the militants as well as terror outfit involved in the assassination of Sharma as well as BJP senior leader Anil Parihar and his brother Ajit Parihar, whose case was already being investigated by the NIA, appeared to be same.
“In view of similarities in the two terror attacks, the MHA was considering handing over of Chanderkant killing case also to the NIA,” sources said but added that a final decision in this regard was awaited.
While Parihar brothers were martyred by the militants near their house in Kishtwar town on November 1, 2018, RSS top functionary Chanderkant Sharma along with his PSO Rajinder Kumar were gunned down by the terrorists inside the District Hospital Kishtwar in broad day-light on April 9, where Sharma was posted as Pharmacist. In another terror incident, the militants had snatched AK rifle of police constable, Daleep Singh, who was posted as PSO to the DC Kishtwar, from his house on March 8.
No breakthrough has been made so far in all three attacks though Parihar brothers’ case is being investigated by the NIA.
Meanwhile, the MHA today handed over Banihal failed terror attack case on March 30 to the NIA.
A Hizbul Mujahideen Owais Amin of South Kashmir had tried to ram explosives laden Santro car into the CRPF convoy on the pattern of February 14 Pulwama attack, at Banihal on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway on March 30. However, he failed to hit the convoy as the car caught fire and was burnt. The militant had managed to escape but was arrested the next day. There were no casualties or damage in the attack.
Five other militants, all hailing from South Kashmir including a PhD scholar of Central University Bathinda in Punjab have so far been arrested in connection with Banihal failed attack.
Sources said since Banihal attack was aimed at repeating Pulwama, the MHA has handed over investigations in the case to the NIA. Pulwama case was already being investigated by the NIA.
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