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NC members walk out over rights violations

Srinagar: Alleging that the government was not taking any action against those involved in the human rights violations and that it was ordering probes as an eye wash, Opposition National Conference members on Friday walked out of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly during question hour. They accused the government of misleading and unsatisfactory answers to questions over these issues.

Trouble started when the Minister for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution, Taj Mohiuddin, said government could not give a time frame as to when the judicial and administrative probes ordered into the human rights violations would submit their reports. He said the government could not interfere in the affairs of the judicial and administrative probes. Enquiries are time-consuming affair and many a time evidences do not come forward to help expedite the reports of the probes, he said.

The Minister stated the government had ordered 19 judicial or administrative probes during last two years and gave status of each case.

However, the questioner Ali Mohammad Sagar (NC) said the charge against the government that it was ordering probes as an eye wash and misleading the people of the state was evident as no action has been taken against the persons involved in the human rights violations in the state.

He charged the government with shielding those involved in the heinous crimes. He alleged no action was taken against the persons responsible for custodial deaths. Leader of Opposition A R Rather said the enquiry commissions were asked to submit reports within a specific period at the time of their appointments.

The CPI (M) member M Y Tarigami supported the demand and said it is unfortunate that government was showing its helplessness, rendering these enquiries irrelevant by not fixing a time frame to them to submit their reports. It is a matter of urgent nature. The enquiry commissions should be asked to conclude the findings, so as the guilty are punished, he said.

When the Deputy Speaker Mohammad Akbar Dar, who was conducting the House, asked for next question, NC members stood up on their seats saying government was misleading the House.

“We are talking of lamb and the government is talking of elephant. Our question is different and the minister is giving different answer. We want constitution of a House committee to examine the status of the probes,” Mr. Rather said.

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