Mehbooba Mufti raises alarm over Kashmir raids, demands answers on Nowgam blast
The former chief minister seeks accountability as raids intensify, demands full probe into ammonium nitrate mishandling and support for affected families
As security agencies intensify raids across Kashmir in connection with the “white-collar” terror conspiracy case, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday (November 18) cautioned that ordinary citizens should not be made to suffer for the actions of a few.
Also read | 9 killed in J&K police station blast linked to Faridabad seizure
The former chief minister also demanded a thorough probe into the accidental blast at the Nowgam police station, noting that several questions remain unanswered.
Questions for blast handling
“It seems that the coming days will be frightful for Kashmir. The people of J&K should not get a collective punishment for someone's mistake in Delhi (Red Fort blast).”
“If anyone is guilty, he should be punished, but common Kashmiri people should not be dealt like that,” Mehbooba told reporters after visiting the family of police inspector Shah Asrar, who was killed in the Nowgam blast on Friday, in Kupwara district in north Kashmir.
The PDP president offered condolences to the family of Asrar, an inspector of the J&K Police's State Investigation Agency (SIA). She said the incident like Nowgam should not have happened.
“People, especially from the police, lost their lives in the incident. I think Kashmir is going through a worrisome and terrifying atmosphere, and this incident should not have happened. Experts should have been there to deal with ammonium nitrate. It was dangerous to have police and other people deal with that,” she said.
Calls for thorough probe
Those who lost their lives have small children. The whole of Kashmir shares their pain, she said.
Calling for a thorough investigation into the Nowgam blast, the PDP president said there were several unanswered questions about the incident.
Also read | Nowgam explosion 'accidental', says Jammu Kashmir police chief
“What was the need of bringing around 3000 kg of ammonium nitrate etc here? What was the need to store it in a police station surrounded by a residential area? Why were people like Naib Tehsildar (revenue official) or policemen, who did not have the expertise to deal with that, asked to deal with it? So, there are many questions for which we seek answers,” she said.
She also called upon the government to take special care of the affected families and demanded the highest bravery awards for all those who lost their lives.
(With agency inputs)