Controversy erupted today over the final report of a Commission of Inquiry into the 2013 communal riots in Kishtwar because the panel has reportedly indicted State's former Minister of State Sajjad Ahmed Kitchloo after having exonerated him of "any involvement at any level".
Kitchloo was dropped from Omar Abdullah ministry over the allegations in connection with the riots but was re-inducted after an interim report of the Commission in December 2013 exonerated him.
Both the Congress and the National Conference raised questions on the credibility of the Commission and demanded an impartial probe.
"We have not seen the report as yet. If the media reports are true and Justice R C Gandhi Commission has indicted Sajad Ahmad Kichloo, it puts a big question mark on the credibility of the Commission," NC's provincial president Devendar Rana said.
"In its interim report, he (Justice Gandhi) had also said that there is not a single affidavit filed by the people that points finger towards Kichloo," Rana said.
On August 9, 2013, communal clashes broke out after Eid prayers which left four persons dead and over 80 injured. A large number of houses and vehicles were also burnt.
Members of ruling BJP-PDP combine attacked Opposition National Conference demanding arrest of Kitchloo, who was Minister of State for Home in the Congress-NC government.
As the Assembly met today, members from the treasury benches were on their feet raising slogans against Kitchloo. They displayed a news report which claimed that the Gandhi Commission had indicted Kitchloo, the then Inspector General of Police (IGP) Jammu Rajesh Kumar, the then DIG Doda-Kishtwar range Ashkoor Wani and the then Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar Mohammad Saleem.
