A political row has erupted over the killing of two Special Police Officers (SPOs) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district. BJP leader Sunil Sharma has accused Congress’s state chief Tariq Hameed Karra of spreading misleading information about the incident that could be used by Pakistan’s propaganda machinerySharma, the leader of opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, accused the Congress of attempting to shift the blame for the killings from terrorists to security forces. His remarks came after Karra called for a thorough investigation into claims that the two SPOs may have been shot by security personnel who mistook them for militants.Speaking to reporters in Srinagar earlier on Sunday, Karra said the killing of the two men on Thursday was condemnable, regardless of who was responsible, but that questions surrounding the incident needed to be answered.“The Kishtwar incident is condemnable, whoever may have committed it. However, many questions are being raised about it,” he said.
BJP rejects mistaken identity claim
Rejecting the possibility that the SPOs were killed in a case of mistaken identity, Sharma said Rashpal Kumar and Babi Chand were on duty with the Special Operations Group (SOG) and were travelling to an Army post at Dharna-Marwah to relieve personnel stationed there.“They were not out hunting, as Karra claimed. Calling two martyrs hunters is an insult to their sacrifice and to their grieving families,” Sharma said.He also claimed that the terrorists who killed the two men took away their rifles, magazines and ammunition. Sharma cited the recovery of Pakistani-origin armour-piercing cartridges and said Jammu and Kashmir police had issued posters of three wanted terrorists, announcing a reward of Rs 30 lakh.Sharma questioned how the Army could have mistaken the two SPOs for militants, arguing that they were familiar personnel who regularly moved between police and Army posts. He also claimed that Karra’s account was inconsistent, saying the Congress leader had acknowledged that the SPOs passed two security pickets without difficulty.
Sharma accuses Congress of changing its stand
The BJP leader also accused Karra of contradicting his own earlier remarks. Sharma said that on November 14, the Congress leader had cited the killings as evidence of terrorism, but raised the possibility of security personnel being responsible a day later.
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“Spreading hearsay on a terror killing is not politics, it is irresponsibility,” Sharma said, alleging that the Congress’s remarks could be used by Pakistan’s propaganda machinery to target the Indian Army.He demanded that Karra withdraw his statement and apologise to the families of the deceased, the Jammu and Kashmir police and the Army. Sharma also asked the Congress leadership to clarify whether it supported the security forces or Karra’s allegations.Karra, in his remarks, had called for an investigation into the claims rather than declaring who was responsible for the killings. The circumstances surrounding the deaths remain a matter for the investigation.