Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo speaks to reporters in Srinagar
Amid a huge political controversy over the recent communal violence in Kishtwar, Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo says he is resigning as the junior Home Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. Three people have died and nearly 20 have been injured since Eid, which was on Friday.
Opposition parties have alleged that the government had been warned by intelligence agencies of escalating tension, and that the army was called in too late to help restore law and order.
Mr Kichloo said that his decision is based on the allegations leveled by Arun Jaitley, a senior leader of the opposition BJP, who suggested that Mr Kichloo's role in the communal clashes must be investigated because the minister was present in the area when the violence began on Eid on Friday. "My conscience is clear," said Mr Kichloo. (
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Mr Jaitley, in parliament, attacked the Kashmir government, headed by Omar Abdullah, for detaining him at the Jammu airport yesterday to prevent him from visiting Kishtwar, 150 kms south of Jammu.
"Kashmir is not the property of one person," said Mr Jaitley, describing his detention as "censorship." Though Chief Minister Omar Abdullah did not name the BJP on Sunday, he said his government would not allow parties to politicize the tension in Kishtwar ahead of national elections.
His father, Farooq Abdullah, rebutted Mr Jaitley in parliament by saying, "Nobody was allowed into Gujarat after the riots... it's not the property of Modi." He was referring to the riots in 2002 in Gujarat which took place on the watch of Chief Minister Narendra Modi, expected to be the presumptive prime minister of Mr Jaitley's party, the BJP.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said today that the Kishtwar violence will be investigated by a retired judge of "in a time-bound manner to establish the facts and share them publicly."
The violence from Kishtwar spread over the weekend to other parts including Jammu city and Rajouri town. Eight districts in the region are now under curfew.