Uproar in House over civilian killings

Tribune News Service

Jammu, January 20

The heat of heightened tension on the border between India and Pakistan today reached the J&K Assembly when the Opposition staged a walkout from the House to protest government’s “failure” to protect the lives of border dwellers in the ceasefire violations.

While the ruling BJP expressed concern over the civilian killings and raised anti-Pakistan slogans, the opposition benches countered the BJP legislators by chanting anti-BJP and anti-RSS slogans.

A total of 10 persons, including two BSF personnel and two Army jawans, have been killed and over 40 others injured in the heavy firing and shelling by Pakistan along the International Border and Line of Control in the Jammu region since January 17.

As the House began its proceedings, the opposition members started raising slogans against the Centre and state government. However, the BJP legislators, led by state president Sat Sharma, raised anti-Pakistan slogans.

“Where is the 56-inch chest? Our people are getting killed and displaced daily but the BJP has been doing politics over the miseries of people,” said Vikar Rasool, Congress MLA.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister ARVeeri said a detailed statement on the violations would be made in the House.

In the meantime, the opposition parties raised anti-BJP and anti-RSS slogans, and staged a walkout from the House.

Later, the NC legislator from Bishnah, Kamal Arora, while holding a banner created uproar in the House. He demanded five-marla plots for border residents at safer places. “We don’t want bunkers but give plots to border residents at safer places,” read the banner in Hindi.

He also accused the government of “misleading” the House on providing transportation facility to the affected people for shifting them to safer places, saying, “no such facility has been provided”.

The government, in its statement, said about 1,100 affected people had been shifted to safer places from forward areas of five districts in the Jammu region.