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The mysterious death of a ruling National Conference worker after a closed door meeting with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah last week has snowballed into a major controversy, with the Opposition People’s Democratic Party deciding to raise a storm in the Legislative Assembly on Monday.
Even as the Crime Branch of Jammu & Kashmir Police has decided not to register an FIR, the ruling National Conference leadership maintained that Opposition was playing “dirty politics over the issue despite the fact that the Government has ordered a Commission of Inquiry to find out the facts”.
The PDP on Sunday afternoon convened legislature party meet and decided to move an adjournment motion in the Assembly for exclusive discussion on the “custodial death”. “We have moved an adjournment motion seeking suspension of other businesses in the Assembly on Monday so that the custodial death issue of Syed Muhammad Yousuf is exclusively discussed in the House,” senior PDP legislator Nizamuddin Bhat told The Pioneer.
Yousuf, a 61-year-old NC functionary, who was supposedly closer to Chief Minister and his father Dr Farooq Abdullah died on Friday morning after he was summoned and quizzed by Chief Minister on allegations of fraud. Chief Minister’s close aide Muhammad Yousuf Bhat, who represented him in Ganderbal constituency and Abdus Salam Reshi, a senior functionary of the party in south Kashmir’s Kokernag pocket, had earlier complained to the Chief Minister that Yousuf had taken an amount of Rs 1.18 crore from them and promised a Cabinet berth and a seat in Upper House of Legislature in lieu of the money. According to an official spokesman, the Chief Minister confronted Yousuf in presence of the complainants at his camp office and subsequently handed him over to Crime Branch where he died of massive heart attack after developing abdominal pain.
Three police officials, including Omar’s longtime security officer Shabir Ahmad, have been transferred but Chief Minister insisted that the transfers were not linked with the mysterious death. Ahmad was in Omar’s security detail for more than a decade and was elevated to the rank of DySP, superseding more than a hundred inspectors. The Chief Minister also relieved Yousuf Bhat as his representative in Ganderbal. An official circular to the district officers in Ganderbal quoted Chief Minister instructing not to entertain Bhat’s recommendations henceforth.
The National Conference is on a defensive over the issue. On Sunday evening, party’s troubleshooter and Finance Minister Abdur Rahim Rather told mediapersons that the Government does not want to hide any facts. “We have ordered a Commission of Inquiry by a sitting high court judge to reach to the bottom of the issue. The facts would be found out,” he said.
He castigated the Opposition PDP for playing “dirty politics” over the issue. “The CM’s fault is that he handed over the case to Crime Branch. What should have he (CM) done in order to know the facts about fraud and corruption,” Rather flanked by CM’s two political advisors Davinder Rana and Mubarak Gul and Rural Development Minister Ali Muhammad Sagar, said.
But the PDP is not impressed. “Prima facie, it is a murder beyond doubt. The Government has initiated a hush-up. The Chief Minister, the official spokesman and the Crime Branch have issued contradictory statements. We will take the matter into people’s court. We have decided to raise the issue with full vigour on the floor of House,” Nizamuddin Bhat said.
“We demand immediate resignation of Chief Minister Omar Abdulah, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nasir Aslam Wani and Union Minister Farooq Abdullah so that the judicial probe is carried out impartially. It is a crime most foul. Maybe this man (Yousuf) knew more about Chief Minister and Farooq Abdullah because he was very closer to both of them,” another PDP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Beigh said. Beigh said that Yousuf was killed either in police custody or any of the residences of Chief Minister and Nasir Aslam Wani.
Meanwhile, IG (Crime Branch) Raja Ajaz Ali has said that there was no need to file an FIR in Yousuf’s death. “He (Yousuf) died of heart fail. It doesn’t make a case to investigate”, he told a local newspaper.
Even as the Crime Branch of Jammu & Kashmir Police has decided not to register an FIR, the ruling National Conference leadership maintained that Opposition was playing “dirty politics over the issue despite the fact that the Government has ordered a Commission of Inquiry to find out the facts”.
The PDP on Sunday afternoon convened legislature party meet and decided to move an adjournment motion in the Assembly for exclusive discussion on the “custodial death”. “We have moved an adjournment motion seeking suspension of other businesses in the Assembly on Monday so that the custodial death issue of Syed Muhammad Yousuf is exclusively discussed in the House,” senior PDP legislator Nizamuddin Bhat told The Pioneer.
Yousuf, a 61-year-old NC functionary, who was supposedly closer to Chief Minister and his father Dr Farooq Abdullah died on Friday morning after he was summoned and quizzed by Chief Minister on allegations of fraud. Chief Minister’s close aide Muhammad Yousuf Bhat, who represented him in Ganderbal constituency and Abdus Salam Reshi, a senior functionary of the party in south Kashmir’s Kokernag pocket, had earlier complained to the Chief Minister that Yousuf had taken an amount of Rs 1.18 crore from them and promised a Cabinet berth and a seat in Upper House of Legislature in lieu of the money. According to an official spokesman, the Chief Minister confronted Yousuf in presence of the complainants at his camp office and subsequently handed him over to Crime Branch where he died of massive heart attack after developing abdominal pain.
Three police officials, including Omar’s longtime security officer Shabir Ahmad, have been transferred but Chief Minister insisted that the transfers were not linked with the mysterious death. Ahmad was in Omar’s security detail for more than a decade and was elevated to the rank of DySP, superseding more than a hundred inspectors. The Chief Minister also relieved Yousuf Bhat as his representative in Ganderbal. An official circular to the district officers in Ganderbal quoted Chief Minister instructing not to entertain Bhat’s recommendations henceforth.
The National Conference is on a defensive over the issue. On Sunday evening, party’s troubleshooter and Finance Minister Abdur Rahim Rather told mediapersons that the Government does not want to hide any facts. “We have ordered a Commission of Inquiry by a sitting high court judge to reach to the bottom of the issue. The facts would be found out,” he said.
He castigated the Opposition PDP for playing “dirty politics” over the issue. “The CM’s fault is that he handed over the case to Crime Branch. What should have he (CM) done in order to know the facts about fraud and corruption,” Rather flanked by CM’s two political advisors Davinder Rana and Mubarak Gul and Rural Development Minister Ali Muhammad Sagar, said.
But the PDP is not impressed. “Prima facie, it is a murder beyond doubt. The Government has initiated a hush-up. The Chief Minister, the official spokesman and the Crime Branch have issued contradictory statements. We will take the matter into people’s court. We have decided to raise the issue with full vigour on the floor of House,” Nizamuddin Bhat said.
“We demand immediate resignation of Chief Minister Omar Abdulah, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nasir Aslam Wani and Union Minister Farooq Abdullah so that the judicial probe is carried out impartially. It is a crime most foul. Maybe this man (Yousuf) knew more about Chief Minister and Farooq Abdullah because he was very closer to both of them,” another PDP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Beigh said. Beigh said that Yousuf was killed either in police custody or any of the residences of Chief Minister and Nasir Aslam Wani.
Meanwhile, IG (Crime Branch) Raja Ajaz Ali has said that there was no need to file an FIR in Yousuf’s death. “He (Yousuf) died of heart fail. It doesn’t make a case to investigate”, he told a local newspaper.
