'Sayeed responsible for Sopore situation'

Srigar, June 18: Holding Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed responsible for the law and order situation in North Kashmir’s Sopore town, a Congress lawmaker on Thursday stayed away from a district development board meeting chaired by Sayeed. Sopore witnessed four mysterious killings of former militants and separatist sympathizers in a span of six days beginning June 9 by unidentified gunmen creating fear psychosis among the people of the town.

“The situation in Sopore is bad, yet the government is unclear about who is behind these killings. In such circumstances, when innocent people are getting killed, my conscience didn’t allow me to attend the board meeting,” Abdul Rashid Dar, member of the legislative assembly (MLA), told IANS. The board meeting of North Kashmir’s Baramula district was held on Thursday in the Dak Bungalow of the town to oversee developmental works in the area. “Mufti Sayeed is home minister of the state as well; as such he is responsible for safety and security of the people. He has failed in instilling a sense of security among the people here. The killings have forced many people to migrate to relatively safer places,” said Dar.

He also said that the government should proceed in the case quickly and bring the culprits to book. “There is suspicion in the town as nobody seems to know who is behind these murders. From government to separatist leaders to militants everybody has condemned the killings. “The state government must make sure that perpetrators of these ghastly acts are brought before the public. They (people) have a right to know who is doing this and why,” he said. According to the state police, a breakaway faction of the separatist guerrilla outfit Hizbul Mujahideen was behind the attacks. On Wednesday, Kashmir observed a protest shutdown called by separatist leaders against the killings in Sopore.  (IANS)