BJP lawmaker threatens to behead colleague, calls police ISI agents
A BJP lawmaker from Jammu and Kashmir today sparked a row and embarrassed his party after he allegedly threatened to shoot and behead another legislator, an independent, for visiting his constituency in Rajouri district.
Last week, Ravinder Raina’s supporters had allegedly attacked Engineer Rashid, legislator from north Kashmir when he was on his way to Rajouri district in the Pirpanjal region. Speaking to reporters, Mr Raina said, “Engineer Rashid is a Pakistani and we will not allow a Pakistani here. We shoot Pakistanis and behead them. How can we let him come here?”
Mr Rashid demanded a criminal case against the BJP lawmaker on the basis of video evidence. “He has openly called me a Pakistani and threatened to kill me. He has said he will cut my throat,” he said.
The BJP leader did not stop at Mr Rashid. He accused the police of hobnobbing with Pakistan’s spy agency ISI and called a senior official “an ISI agent.”
“There are Pakistani elements in police who are taking money from ISI, Hafiz Sayed, Lashkar and Jaish-e-Mohammad and they are trying to destabilise the situation in Sunderbani, Rajouri and Poonch.”
The police had used force to shoo away Mr Raina’s supporters when they attacked Mr Rashid and damaged his car last week.
The Congress slammed Mr Raina. “Such statements are highly irresponsible, senseless and objectionable,” Ravinder Sharma, spokesperson for the party’s state unit said.
The police have not officially reacted but the remarks have obviously not gone down well with them. Hundreds of policemen have been killed fighting terrorists in the state, they say. “Ravinder Raina Ji has forgotten the sacrifices of the Jammu and Kashmir police. Over 1600 jawans and officers have been martyred while fighting militancy in the state,” said Asrar Khan, a retired deputy inspector general of police.
The BJP says it doesn’t approve of the remarks. “I have not seen the video clip but I can tell you the Jammu and Kashmir police is the best police force in the country (for) fighting terrorism in the state,” said Khalid Jahangir, spokesman of the BJP.
