SRINAGAR — Former National Conference MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi on Sunday accused the BJP of politicising the killing of two Special Police Officers (SPOs) in Kishtwar and giving the incident a communal colour instead of addressing questions surrounding the security arrangements.
In a statement posted on X by his office, Ruhullah expressed condolences over the deaths of SPOs Babi Chand and Rashpal Kumar, saying they had laid down their lives while protecting their village and deserved justice rather than politics.
Taking aim at BJP MLA Shagun Parihar, Ruhullah questioned her remarks linking the incident to a mosque, alleging that she had raised the issue without any proof or police confirmation.
He questioned why SOG pickets had been removed, why the SPOs were sent through a dense forest area and who had allegedly leaked their movement before the killings.
Ruhullah also referred to Parihar’s remarks in the Assembly last year, when she had said that the Hindu community was being neglected and alleged that a village was ignored because a minority community lived there.
He said the repeated raising of such issues reflected an attempt to turn matters concerning roads, development and even the deaths of security personnel into Hindu-Muslim disputes.
The NC MP further said that police, security and law and order in Jammu and Kashmir fell under the jurisdiction of the Lieutenant Governor and the Union Home Ministry, both controlled by the BJP, and held the party responsible for answering questions over the security situation in Kishtwar.
“Communal noise is how they escape answering for it,” he said, accusing the BJP of using the deaths of personnel for political purposes.
“Kishtwar has seen enough pain. It will not be divided for votes,” Ruhullah said. — (KIMS)