Tarigami welcomes J&K governor's outreach to separatists

Senior CPI(M) leader M Y Tarigami on Wednesday welcomed the outreach of Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik to separatists and called for a time-bound inquiry into the three major incidents of civilian deaths in the past six months.

"Governor Malik's offer of reaching out to the separatist leaders is a welcome step, but, as a confidence building measure (CBM), it is essential that the governor's administration at least orders a time-bound inquiry and fixes responsibility in three major incidents of the civilian killings in the last six months," Tarigami said in a statement here.

In a bid to build bridges between the Raj Bhawan and the Hurriyat Conference, Malik had on Tuesday urged the separatist to apprise him directly of the cases of "atrocity and injustice" to the common people that they may come across. "I have a message for Hurriyat that they should not consider me as an alien," Malik had told PTI in an interview.

Tarigami said three people, including a young girl and two boys, were killed in firing by the security forces in Hawoora area of Kulgam in July, followed by seven civilian deaths in a blast at an encounter site in Laroo, Kulgam, in October, and seven more civilian deaths in the forces' firing in Pulwama last month.

"If the governor wants to restore the credibility of the administration and create a conducive atmosphere for dialogue, at least a time-bound enquiry and fixing of responsibility must start from these three incidents, which all happened after the imposition of the governor's rule in the state," he added.