Amid uproar in the Legislative Council over the death of a youth in Baramulla, the Opposition today demanded investigation into the alleged firing by security forces and asked for strict action against the accused.
As the Council assembled this morning, PDP members along with Panthers Party legislator Sayed Mohammad Rafiq Shah urged Chairman Amrit Malhotra to suspend the House's business and hold discussions on the death of Tahir Latief Sofi, who was killed in the alleged Army firing.
The members raised slogans in support of their demand following which the Chairman admitted the adjournment motion brought in by the PDP in this regard and allowed a discussion on the issue.
Shah said on the one hand the government talked of confidence building measures and peace in the state, and on the other hand it allowed such things to happen.
"How can you fire bullets in response to a stone?" he asked, adding that the 25-year-old did not "even have the stone in his hand."
PDP's Sayed Asgar Ali said the state was moving back to the pre-militancy phase of 1989-90 and asked the government to take strict action against all those involved in the killing.
His party colleague Mohammad Ashraf Mir said the House was not taking the issue seriously and questioned "why the people of Kashmir were forced to live under the shadow of (the) gun?"
Whenever Kashmir moves in the direction of peace something adverse happens, Congress MLC Khalid Najeeb Suharawardy said while alleging that this was being "deliberately done."
"Yesterday Chief Minister Omar Abdullah talked about AFSPA and today they kill a boy. They want Kashmir but they don't want Kashmiris," he alleged.
