Outraged by the manipulated interim report by the one man Commission of Inquiry headed by Justice (Retd.) R.C. Gandhi, giving clean chit to former Minister of State Sajjad Ahmed Kitchloo, BJP activists held protest demonstrations across Jammu province to register their protest against the biased approach of the powers that be.In the morning party activists in their hundreds led by Janipur Mandal President Praduman Singh, held protest outside the residence of the compromised Retd. Justice of J&K High Court at Janipur and accused him of manipulation of facts to help the NC-Congress coalition government, which has crossed all limits to pander to communal and separatist forces in the valley and elsewhere. There was scuffle between the police and the party activists.
Later in the afternoon, hundreds of party activists led by State President Jugal Kishore Sharma took out a march to Raj Bhawan to protest the provocative decision of State Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to re-induct Sajjad Ahmed Kitchloo in the State Cabinet, whose role and conduct in the August 9 communal assault on the minority community in Kishtwar is too well known. A dharna was held outside Raj Bhawan in protest against Kitchloo’s induction.Jugal Kishore Sharma, while announcing party’s call for 48 hours bandh, condemned the controversial decision of the NC-led coalition government to rehabilitate Sajjad Ahmed Kitchloo on the basis of manipulated interim report, said that the BJP will not take lightly to this irresponsible and communally motivated act and reach out to the masses to mobilize the opinion against the NC-Congress government. He asked the one man inquiry commission on what basis he gave a clean chit to the said NC leader and also questioned the very recommendation that VDCs be reconstituted by including members of majority community. He said that it was in early 90s that VDCs were constituted the then Governor General K.V Krishna Rao to ensure security of minority community and their religious places and dissuade them from migrating.
Leader of Legislative Party Ashok Khajuria, on this occasion, said that the decision of CM Omar Abdullah to re-induct Kitchloo as MoS (Home) will not only embolden the anti-minority forces in the state but would also give rise to sense of insecurity among members of minority community which may lead to mass migration. It will also send a very negative message to patriotic forces who are putting up in militancy affected areas of the state.National Executive Member Dr. Nirmal Singh, in his address, said that communalizing the environment in the state has been common practice of NC-Congress government for crass vote bank politics. The coalition government has completely ignored its duty to create a congenial and positive feeling between the various communities in the state by inducting in the cabinet a person whose acts of omission and commission during August 09 communal riots in Kishtwar town are too well known.Later, in a meeting held at party hqrs. the programme was charted out for making the bandh call a success and mobilize the public opinion. A fervent appeal was made by party president and other leaders to the transporters, business and social organizations and educational institutions to extend support for making the bandh successful.