Srinagar, Apr 14: Even though the two BJP ministers of Jammu and Kashmir government who had taken part in a protest to defend the temple gang rapists, submitted their resignations on Friday, the saffron party has brazenly justified them.
Forest and Environment Minister Lal Singh and Commerce and Industries Minister Chander Parkash Ganga had addressed the rally of the Hindu Ekta Manch, a group campaigning for handing over the case to the CBI, on March 4 and defended those arrested in the rape and murder of the eight-year-old girl.
“The two leaders have submitted their resignations on Friday. The final call on them will be taken at the meeting of the BJP legislators,” said BJP spokesman Ashok Kaul.
Shockingly, Kaul denied that the resignations indicated any wrongdoing. “They have not done anything wrong. They are resigning because a situation has been created around them,” he said.
The resignation of ministers assumes significance in the wake of public annoyance expressed by the BJP’s coalition partner Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other political parties in J&K, including National Conference (NC).
Senior PDP Minister Naeem Akhtar has said “the party’s rank and file was finding it difficult to work in an atmosphere where such crass communalism is being practised by the Ministers,” while referring to the two BJP leaders.
J&K government sources said Ms. Mufti had raised the issue with the BJP top brass and demanded the removal of the Ministers or “decide to go one way or the other.” Government sources said Ms. Mufti had also spoken to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue and sought his intervention.
In a major climbdown, senior BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Dr. Nirmal Singh expressed satisfaction over the investigation of the Crime Branch in the rape and murder case.
“We had entered into the alliance by taking a bold and courageous step. We had come together to solve the Kashmir issue and relieve the State of its pain. As it’s looking now we are far from that,” Mr. Akhtar, who is also the J&K government spokesman, said.
Meanwhile, National Conference working president Omar Abdullah sought action against the Jammu Bar Association president B.S. Salthaia for threatening the lawyer of the victim family.
National Conference president Dr. Farooq Abdullah chaired a meeting of the party’s core group in Srinagar and threatened to launch a civil disobedience movement against the State government if it failed to act against the Ministers.
The little girl from the nomadic Muslim Bakerwal community was abducted and then gang-raped inside as well as outside the temple before she was murdered. Seven persons accused in the case have been charged with crimes under Sections 302, 376, 201 and 120-B of the Ranbir Penal Code. They include Sanji Ram’s son Vishal Jangotra, a special police officer (SPO), another SPO, Deepak Khajuria, Head Constable Tilak Raj, Sub-Inspector Anand Dutta, and Parvesh Kumar.
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