Jammu and Kashmir Congress president Tariq Karra on Sunday called for a thorough investigation into the killing of two SPOs in Kishtwar, saying there were claims that they may have been shot by security personnel who mistook them for militants."The Kishtwar incident is condemnable, whoever may have committed it. However, many questions are being raised about it," Karra told reporters here.
The Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president said he spoke with the party's District President Kishtwar, and reports say the two SPOs went hunting.
"They had guns with them. In that area, Warwan and its adjoining area, there were two pickets. While going, they crossed both pickets comfortably. However, when they were returning, because of their civilian dress, the Army mistook them for militants and fired upon them," he said.Karra, who is an MLA from the Central Shalteng constituency here, said the other story "being propagated by the BJP is that they were killed by militants".
"Yesterday, through my District President, we demanded that if you have an angle of militancy in it, do investigate it properly. But the other angles should also be investigated," he added.The JKPCC chief also accused the BJP of communalising the incident.
"Another highly condemnable thing that happened in this is the way the BJP is trying to communalise it. The local female MLA there gave a statement saying an announcement was made from the mosques of Warwan to kill Hindus. This is highly condemnable," he said.He said the party's Kishtwar district president is also a Hindu and he has asked him to challenge the statement.
"I told him that if you are satisfied that nothing of the sort happened there and no announcement was made from any mosque, then it is highly condemnable, and you challenge that MLA that if such a claim is not proven true, she should resign from her chair," he said.
He asserted that a battery of BJP leaders sitting in Kishtwar is "trying to communalise the situation".
"I think they have other designs behind their statements and are permanently sitting there. We cannot ignore the manner in which they have done all this," he added.He also questioned the Centre's claims that the situation in J-K is normal."Earlier too, whenever such shifts in the situation occurred, we raised this issue, asking them to come clear on whether the situation is actually normal or not. Whenever the Government of India needs to claim that everything is hunky-dory, especially when they have to sell this narrative to the international community, or when the international community visits Jammu and Kashmir, they make such claims," he said."And whenever it doesn't suit them, whether it's about statehood or militancy-related issues, they say the situation is bad. All we say is: let them issue a white paper on whether the situation is good or not good," he added.To a question about the BJP targeting National Conference president Farooq Abdullah over his Pakistan remarks and claiming that whenever the NC talks about Pakistan, attacks take place in the region, Karra said talking about Pakistan has been happening here in different contexts since 1947.
"You can't ignore that and pretend it doesn't happen. The BJP itself talks while taking Pakistan's name. If they make such claims, then another question arises: whenever the BJP was in power, look at all the major attacks that happened in Jammu and Kashmir, take Pulwama, Awantipora, Jammu, or Pahalgam. All the massive, fatal attacks that took place happened during the BJP's tenure," he said.
Earlier, BJP's Sunil Sharma, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, questioned the circumstances under which the two SPOs were sent across difficult mountainous terrain to assist Army personnel, alleging that the decision exposed them to unnecessary risks and ultimately resulted in their killing. (Agencies)