Army Cancels J&K Civil Code Seminar After Major Backlash From Parties

The Army in Jammu and Kashmir cancelled a seminar to raise awareness about the Uniform Civil Code, or UCC, and other topics after a backlash from the political parties in the Union Territory.

The Army sent invitations to media houses for the seminar on "Navigating legal frontiers: Understanding Indian Penal Code 2023 and the quest for Uniform Civil Code" last evening. It was scheduled for March 26 at the Kashmir University Auditorium.

However, there was a severe backlash from the regional parties, with former Chief Minister and National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah questioning the Army's involvement in a "divisive" issue like the Uniform Civil Code in a "sensitive" place like Kashmir.

"Is it appropriate for the Indian Army to get involved in the divisive issue of the Uniform Civil Code and that too in a sensitive area like Kashmir? There is a reason the Indian Army has remained apolitical and areligious. This ill-advised UCC seminar is a threat to both these basic tenets," Mr Abdullah posted on X.

Going ahead with the seminar risks opening up the Army to charges of getting involved in the "murky world" of politics coupled with "interfering" in religious matters, he maintained.

His party colleague and the National Conference's chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq asked the Election Commission to "assess the appropriateness" of the Army discussing an issue that figures prominently in the BJP's manifesto while the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) is in effect.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also criticised the Army over the seminar.

"What we are seeing is the continuation of the trend of "Naya Kashmir" and "Akhir Kab Tak" campaigns in which the Army as an institution was seen as playing a partisan role and directly interfering in the political affairs of J&K," PDP spokesperson Najmus Saqib said.

"Post backlash, we saw some systemic changes. But unfortunately, the seminar by the Army as an institution depicts how far the lines between politics and security apparatus have blurred in J&K," he added.

Mr Saqib said this is a "very dangerous trend" and is a "manifestation of larger systemic erosion of the Constitution".

Following the backlash, the Army cancelled the event citing the "implementation of the Model Code of Conduct".

"The Legal Awareness Seminar on March 26 by Kashmir Jurist in Kashmir University has been cancelled due to implementation of the Model Code of Conduct," Srinagar-based Defence Spokesman Lt Col Manoj Sahu said.

The invite to the media was sent by Srinagar-based Defence PRO on behalf of General Officer Commanding HQ 31 Sub Area Major General PBS Lamba.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)