NC demands judicial probe into youth leader's murder

The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC) today demanded an inquiry by a sitting high court judge into the killing of its youth leader in Rajouri district.
"The murder of our youth block president in Kalakote Rajouri is a political murder and we demand that the government hold a judicial inquiry by a sitting judge of the high court to unravel the truth," NC provincial president Devender Singh Rana told reporters here.
Ishtyaq Ahmed (26) was shot dead on Saturday in the Kalekote area of Rajouri district allegedly by a member of village defence committee (VDC) after the duo had an altercation over distribution of ration.

"The voice of the youth leader was muzzled by killing him, he was raising voice against irregularities in the distribution of the CAPD ration in the area," Rana said.
Rana said a time-bound inquiry into the killing must be done so that the culprits were "unmasked" and punished at the earliest.
Rana alleged that attempts were being made to muzzle the voice of the opposition but National Conference would continue to raise its voice.

"Since the day the BJP-PDP government has taken over, an environment is being created where people are being forced to follow their path. However, National Conference has always remained a credible voice of the people and will continue to do so," he said.

When asked to comment on the demand being made by certain section of the society that the VDC members be disarmed, Rana said people whose credentials and antecedents were verified should only hold the gun.
On the implementation of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) by the BJP-PDP government in the state, he said the fact that the coalition government has agreed to review the act itself proves that his party was right when it refused to implement the same during its tenure.