Din in Houses over rights ‘abuse’

Tribune News Service

Jammu, January 3

Opposition parties today created noisy scenes in the State Legislative Council and Assembly seeking adjournment of the House business to discuss “civilian killings, harassment of innocents and nocturnal raids” in the Kashmir valley.

The agitating members of the council, who had moved an adjournment motion, trooped into the Well of the House and disrupted almost the entire question hour after Chairman Haji Anayat Ali disallowed the motion moved by the NC and the Congress.

They also resorted to massive sloganeering to press for their demand for a discussion in the House on civilian killings allegedly by security forces which forced the Chairman to adjourn the House for a few minutes.

“We want discussion on the bloodshed in the Kashmir valley so that human right violations are stopped. Innocent people are being killed and harassed. This is a sensitive issue and it needs discussion in the House. The question hour can be deferred till tomorrow, but this issue needs urgent attention of the government,” Ghulam Nabi Monga, senior Congress legislator, said.

Monga was joined by the NC and Congress legislators who also stormed into the Well of the House when the chairman pressed for continuation of normal business of the House and disallowed their motion.

When the House reassembled, the opposition members again stormed into the Well and continued their protest. As the Chairman told them that their motion could not be allowed, they staged a walkout from the House.

The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly also witnessed pandemonium as the entire Opposition staged a walkout after Speaker Kavinder Gupta disallowed adjournment motion moved by the Opposition to discuss human rights violations in Kashmir. Annoyed at the rejecting of the adjournment motion, the NC and Congress boycotted discussions on the Governor’s address.

Although the Speaker agreed to hold a one-hour discussion on the issues incorporated by the opposition in the adjournment motion after the question hour, the NC and Congress members were demanding suspension of normal business to discuss human rights violations in the Valley.

As the Speaker disallowed their adjournment motion, opposition members trooped into the Well of the House, raising anti-government slogans.

“We have moved the adjournment motion to discuss the deteriorating security situation in the Valley, but this government is not ready for discussions,” Ali Mohammad Sagar, NC lawmaker, reacted after Speaker’s verdict.

He was joined by Congress members GM Saroori, Usman Majid and NC legislators Mian Altaf, Devender Singh Rana, Mubarak Gul, Abdul Majeed Larmi and others. Opposition members resorted to raising slogans and there was a complete din in the House.

Amid ruckus, the Speaker asked members to raise their questions listed for today’s business, but nothing was audible. The entire one hour of the question hour witnessed vociferous protests and slogans by the Opposition.

Abdul Rehman Veeri, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, repeatedly tried to pacify the agitating Opposition members, but to no avail. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh remained seated calmly during the protests. The Opposition stormedthe Well over five times and Altaf Ahmed, NC legislator from Pahalgam, tore some papers and threw them towards the Speaker.