J-K political parties condemn killing of civilian by CRPF

Political parties in Kashmir on Wednesday condemned the killing of a civilian by CRPF personnel in Budgam district and called for an impartial enquiry to punish the guilty.

A civilian, identified as Peer Mehrajuddin of Makhana Beerwah, was killed when CRPF personnel opened fire on his vehicle which jumped a security checkpoint in Budgam on the Srinagar-Gulmarg highway. He was rushed to the SMHS hospital here where he succumbed to injuries, according to police.

Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC), in a statement, strongly condemned the incident.

"The firing should have been avoided. The loss of innocent lives has the potential to lead to the further alienation of the people," it said.

The party demanded a probe into the circumstances which led to the killing of the civilian in order to fix the responsibility.

The PDP too incident called for an enquiry into the incident.

"Shooting a civilian dead cannot be how a democracy operates. Eagerness of few trigger happy individuals to replicate Delhi Police model of destruction & violence in Budgam is detestable. An enquiry should be initiated & guilty taken to task," the party tweeted.

Former chief minister Omar Abdullah termed the incident as unfortunate.

"Very unfortunate. The circumstances surrounding this shooting need to be impartially investigated & findings made known. My condolences to the family of the deceased," he tweeted.

Omar's party National Conference also condemned the killing and demanded an impartial and a time-bound probe into the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Party spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said such incidents are unhelpful and obstructive towards bringing peace to the trouble-torn valley.

"The incident has outraged and saddened the people. I convey my solidarity with the kin of the deceased. Such killings are unacceptable and could have been avoided. The incident should be thoroughly probed and the responsibility fixed," he said.

"Far from furthering peace in the region, such incidents will further add to the alienation of people. I hope the incident is not lost into inscrutability. A precious life has been lost. I, on behalf of my party, express condolences to the grieved family and pray for much-needed courage for them to bear the irreparable loss," Dar said.