LoP condemns killings, says won’t let terror raise its head

A day after three bodies were recovered from near a waterfall in J&K’s Kathua district, senior BJP leader Sunil Sharma on Sunday stated that terrorism, which has been buried in Kashmir, will not be allowed to raise its head in Jammu.

Addressing protesters gathered to condemn the killings in Billawar area of Kathua, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the J&K Assembly remarked that terrorists have devised a new modus operandi, where they are not using weapons to kill people but instead aim to create confusion.

Sharma, accompanied by party MLAs Satish Sharma and Rajiv Jasrotia, visited Billawar and briefed Union Home Minister Amit Shah about the incident. “He (Shah) asked me to tell the people of Billawar that he is standing behind them,” Sharma said.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leaders, including former MP Choudhary Lal Singh, were barred by the police from visiting the area, which sparked strong protests from the party.

Congress leader Singh and party colleague Manohar Lal Sharma, a former minister, were stopped by the police en route to Billawar to express sympathy with the bereaved families.

“This is ironic that the BJP leaders are facilitated while we are stopped from meeting the families of the deceased. I have visited the area even during the peak of terrorism,” Singh, who is also a former minister, told reporters.

He said this was the first time such a situation had emerged in Kathua and claimed it reflected the failure of the Home Ministry, which directly controls the law and order situation. He said, “We demand an inquiry to identify the culprits and a compensation of Rs 10 lakh and a government job for the families of the deceased.”