SRINAGAR: After facing flak from political parties over the killing of a BJP leader whose security was withdrawn by the state government in February, Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Sunday ordered Chief Secretary B V R Subrahmanyam to probe killings of political workers and directed that protection of all political activists be ensured at any cost.
BJP district vice president in Anantnag, Gul Mohammad Mir, 60, was shot dead by militants inside his home at village Nowgam, Verinag, in Anantnag district at around 10 pm on Saturday.
A BJP spokesman, Altaf Thakur, said Mir’s security was withdrawn by the Governor’s administration a few months ago. “The party had raised this issue with the State government. But the government ignored our repeated pleas,” he said.
Thakur said Mir’s security was withdrawn despite the fact that unidentified gunmen had barged into his home and ransacked the house in September last year when he was away.
The political parties slammed the Governor’s administration for withdrawing the security of political leaders, making them easy targets of militant attacks.
Since March, the BJP leader, an RSS leader and his bodyguard, a panch, and a social activist have been killed by militants, and a National Conference activist has been critically injured.
The governor asked for identifying any lapses on the part of security agencies regarding ensuring security of political figures. “From now onwards, all political people should be protected at every cost,” he emphasised.
The Governor would be chairing a high-level security review meeting in Srinagar after the opening of the Civil Secretariat here on Monday to review the safety and security of political leaders and elected panchs and sarpanchs.