Srinagar, Jan. 29 (TNS): Political slugfest erupted between alliance partners — People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the BJP — in occupied Jammu and Kashmir assembly on Monday, prompting the Speaker to suspend the question hour scheduled to take up the killings of two civilians by Indian army firing in the Shopian district of South Kashmir.
On Saturday, unarmed protesters, mainly youth, were staging protest peacefully at the Ganowpora village of Shopian when Indian forces opened fire on them, resulted killing of two youths and injuries to several others.
On Sunday, the police had registered a case against Army Major Aditya and 10 Garhwal unit on charges of murder and attempt to murder under various RPC Sections for the killings.
The ruckus in the assembly began on Monday when BJP MLAs demanded dropping of the major’s name from the FIR, saying that the move would demoralise armed forces, with chief minister Mehbooba Mufti rejecting it and saying the state government had already ordered a magisterial probe into the incident.
In the evening the state government appointed an inquiry officer, Shopian district magistrate Aijaz Ahmad to probe the incident, and said recording statements of witnesses would begin from Tuesday.
Mehbooba said the probe into the “unfortunate incident” would be taken to its logical end. “The Army would not be demoralised by the registration of an FIR. There can be black sheep in the Army also,” she told the House.
