Lal Singh's threat to media shocking, reprehensible: Congress

Congress on Saturday described the Jammu and Kashmir BJP legislator Lal Singh's threat to media, invoking the murder of Rising Kashmir Editor Shujaat Bukhari, as shocking and reprehensible and questioned if the saffron party leaders "have any knowledge of assassination".

"Shocking and reprehensible! BJP J&K MLA, Lal Singh openly threatens journalists to 'fall in line and draw a line'. He horrifically says that otherwise they will meet the fate of Shujaat Bukhari by naming his brother," Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said in a tweet.

"Do BJP leaders have some special knowledge of the assassination," the Congress leader asked.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA, who was a Forest Minister in the BJP-PDP (People's Democratic Party) government in the state, while addressing a press conference on the Kathua rape case on Friday alleged that the journalists in Kashmir created a wrong narrative in the horrific rape case.

"These Kashmiri journalists created a wrong narrative about it (the Kathua rape and murder). Now I tell Kashmiri journalists to draw a line on the journalism you do and how you have to live.

"Do you have to live like what happened to Basharat, so that such a situation emerges," Singh asked while issuing a threat to Kashmiri journalist.

Basharat Bukhari is Shujaat Bukhari's brother. Basharat was Law Minister in the PDP-BJP government before the saffron party pulled out of the alliance and the state came under the Governor's rule.

Shujaat, who was Editor-in-Chief of the Rising Kashmir newspaper, was assassinated by unknown gunmen outside his office on June 14, along with his two security guards.

"To avoid such a situation, manage yourself and draw a line (on reporting) and decide if you have to work the way he (Shujaat) was working," Singh said.

Singh had resigned from the cabinet in April following his participation in a rally organised by the Hindu Ekta Manch in January in support of those accused of rape and murder of a young girl in Kathua.

--IANS

aks/qd/vm