Members in Rajya Sabha on Monday voiced concern over violence in Kishtwar area of Jammu and Kashmir with Opposition saying the country's "sovereignty and integrity" was at stake and the matter should not be dismissed as an inter-community clash.
Initiating an impromptu debate in the House, Leader of the Opposition Arun Jaitley alleged that the state government had failed to take appropriate measures to control the violence and warned that it should not be a repeat of 1990 when an entire minority community was compelled to leave Kashmir Valley.
"The violence in Kishtwar and adjoining areas involves the sovereignty and integrity of the country and should not be seen only as a clash between two communities," Jaitley said.
Comparing the events to the violence in 1990 in the Valley that had "compelled a community to leave", he said when the violence occurred last week, the state government officials had not taken enough measures to control the situation. He said there are reports that a senior functionary of the government could be involved and demanded this aspect be probed.
"This incidence is not just an inter-community conflict," Jaitley said, adding that flags of another country were waved and pictures of a convict given death sentence displayed. He sought to know why no arrest was made though hundreds of shops have been gutted and many people injured.
"People were crying out of helplessness," he said, adding, the situation was out of control due to which the injured could not be admitted to the civil hospital and were rushed to the military hospital.
Jaitley sought to know if the government was trying to impose censorship by not allowing him and other leaders to visit the area. He recalled that in the past when such a situation arose then home minister Shivraj Patil and later his successor P Chidambaram had taken all-party delegations to help people exhaust their anger and calm down tempers but now an "iron curtain" has been imposed so that nobody enters the state.
Hitting out at the state government, Jaitley said the state of Jammu and Kashmir is not property of any one family. He said India is not a "banana republic" where an indefinite order is issued under Section 144 banning a person from entering Jammu region.
Jaitley said, "Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India. We have to decide how to govern it...What if BJP-ruled state governments invoke section 144 to stop All India Congress Committee members to enter the state...It is the issue of India's sovereignty."
Questioning why people were not arrested, he demanded immediate corrective measures besides booking the guilty.
Participating in the debate, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati sought imposition of President's rule in Jammu and Kashmir for failure to check violence in Kishtwar area. Seeking a high-level probe into the episode, she said, "The home minister of the state remained silent on the episode. An
FIR should be lodged against him and he should be jailed. If the government fails to lodge FIR, then president's rule should be imposed by sacking the state government."
Expressing sadness and anguish over increasing violence in the Valley, she said son of BSP Kishtwar district president was shot dead and 17 bullets were fired on him to ensure he was dead. She said the state's home minister was at Kishtwar at the time of the incident but did not take any step to control the situation.
Communist Party of India Sitaram Yechury said, "It is with a deep sense of agony and anguish I point out that what happened in Kishtwar is not a localised law and order problem but something of a larger magnitude...Transgression on the Line of Control has increased. Militant's infiltration has increased."
Seeking the Centre's intervention in the matter, he said it should be probed why laxity was shown by authorities there in controlling the situation. Jaitley said, "Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India. We have to decide how to govern it...What if the BJP-ruled state governments invoke section 144 to stop AICC members to enter the state...It is the issue of India's sovereignty."
Questioning why people were not arrested, he demanded immediate corrective measures besides booking the guilty.
