Minister asks MHA to rein in ‘unbridled’ CRPF

On CM’s advice, Sagar talks to Centre through media, Cong embarrassed

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Jun 27: In a significant development tonight, senior National Conference (NC) leader and Minister of Rural Development, Ali Mohammad Sagar, called CRPF as an “unbridled and indisciplined force” and urged Union Minister of Home Affairs, P Chidambaram, to rein in this paramilitary organization. Well placed authoritative sources said that Sagar chose to communicate to New Delhi through media, rather than taking the coalition partner Congress into confidence, on Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s direction. Late tonight CM himself spoke to Chidambaram to personally convey his government’s concern over CRPF functioning in the Valley.

Addressing an urgently organized news conference at his official residence late this evening, Sagar expressed his government’s concern over the fact that half-a-dozen civilian demonstrators had been killed by CRPF in different incidents of firing in the last two weeks. He said that CRPF had become an unbridled and indisciplined force and needed to be reined in by the union Ministry of Home Affairs. He urged Home Minister, P Chidambaram, to immediately take stock of the CRPF functioning in a visit to Kashmir and use his good offices to prevent the paramilitary organization from further indulgence in human rights abuse.

Sagar parried queries and maintained that the NC would think about it later when mediapersons repeatedly wanted to know whether Omar Abdullah would pull out of the coalition if the “violation of SOP” by CRPF continued unabated in Kashmir. He said that abuse of human rights by central forces was intolerable for the state government. He made it clear that he had called today’s press conference for only communicating to the Centre NC-led coalition government’s concern over CRPF functioning through media.

Even as a formal reaction from Congress was not available immediately, individual Ministers of the party insisted that they had no knowledge of “today’s significant policy decision”. They said that the party would discuss the situation arising out of a Minister’s public rebuke of CRPF, in advance of completion of magisterial and judicial inquiries, with its high command in New Delhi as well as Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, here tomorrow. Sources said that two of the Congress Ministers, both from Jammu division, were conveying their “displeasure” over Mr Sagar’s public censurement of CRPF. Their argument was that the matter could have been resolved in a discussion between the coalition partners followed by a formal request to the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre. “It’s a highly embarrassing situation for all of Congress Ministers”, said a senior Minister of the party over telephone.
Meanwhile, according to an official press release released late tonight, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah spoke to the Union Home Minister, P. Chidambaram and expressed his strong concern about the recent death of civilians. “The Home Minister & the Chief Minister both agreed to the need to bring an immediate end to this cycle of violence”, it said.

“The Home Minister assured the Chief Minister that together the Union government and the state government will deal with the situation. The Home Minister said the Union government is committed to support the state government in its endeavor to bring peace and order in the state and shall do everything possible in this regard”, government’s press release said.
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