CM won’t step down on PDP’s “political drama” over NC activist’s death: Rather

‘Govt has announced judicial probe; PSO’s transfer is a separate issue’

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Oct 2: Minister of Finance, Abdul Rahim Rather, today made it unambiguously clear on behalf of the state government that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah would never step down on the “political drama” PDP, according to him, had enacted over the death of a National Conference (NC) activist, Syed Mohammad Yousuf, here on Friday last. He strongly refuted media reports and some opposition parties’ statements which have created an impression that the NC activist had died due to perpetration of physical torture on him at the Chief Minister’s residence.

In the government’s first frontal response to PDP’s accusation of custodial killing against Chief Minister and Minister of State for Home, Nasir Aslam Wani, Finance Minister and senior NC leader, Abdul Rahim Rather, made it clear at a hurriedly organized news conference that there was no question of Mr Omar Abdullah’s resignation.

“Chief Ministers don’t step down on unsubstantiated allegations. Without getting into the controversy of circumstances that led to (Yousuf’s) death, Chief Minister promptly announced a judicial inquiry as a party worker, called to his camp office, had died. Government immediately requested Chief Justice to spare a sitting judge of J&K High Court for conducting the investigation. What else does PDP want?” Rather asked. He asserted that neither Chief Minister nor MoS Home, Nasir Aslam Wani, had any involvement in the NC activist’s death.

Contrary to Government spokesman’s first statement on the death on Saturday, Mr Rather, however, did not claim that Yousuf had died of “massive cardiac arrest”. He asserted that truth would prevail at the end of the day as an independent judicial inquiry by a senior judge of High Court would make everything crystal clear. He gave a carbon copy of the official spokesman’s narration that Yousuf had been called for the settlement of a dispute with two other NC activists, all the three passed on to CM’s camp office, went through a confrontation, came out without any sign of physical torture and faced questioning at an office of Crime Branch.

According to Mr Rather, Yousuf later complained of nausea, went for a medical check up to Police Hospital and was also treated at SMHS Hospital. His death occurred next morning. He said that the authorities constituted a team of the forensic medicine experts of Government Medical College who conducted post mortem under audio-visual coverage. Cause of the death would become clear only after compilation of the post mortem report. “If the crime of death in custody is established, our government would take necessary action against whoever, howsoever powerful, involved in it”, Rather clarified.

While as after his return from Chennai, Chief Minister attended a tourism-related event at Gulmarg in company of his father, Dr Farooq Abdullah, and MoS Home and Tourism, Nasir Aslam Wani, Rather was flanked at the Banquet Hall news conference by CM’s advisors, Mubarak Gul and Devinder Singh Rana, besides Minister of Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Ali Mohammad Sagar. Immediately after the press conference, NC’s top leadership remained closeted to draw strategy as to how the party in the hot seat of power would respond to PDP’s aggressive campaign on this particular issue. By this evening, it became clear that PDP would be moving an adjournment motion in Legislative Assembly on Monday, seeking a detailed discussion on Yousuf’s “custodial killing” besides Chief Minister’s and MoS Home’s resignation.

Rather at the press conference charged PDP with “playing politics” over the death of the NC activist. “He was dear to us all. He belonged to our party. We are all shocked over his death”, Rather said. Referring to PDP’s legal luminary and former Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Baig’s statements, Rather said: “He is a lawyer by profession and he has every right to raise such issues. But it does not behove a high profile politician of Mr Baig’s stature to make mountain out of a molehill”. He asserted that PDP’s demand of CM’s resignation was in no way acceptable to his party and government.

When it was pointed out to him that even an FIR had not been registered by Police, Crime Branch and any other organisation, Rather argued that the judicial commission would take all necessary action according to its observation. In reply to another question as to why several of CM’s security guards and radio operators had been shifted to other places dramatically on Friday itself, Rather insisted that there was no correlation between Yousuf’s death and transfer of CM’s PSOs. “It’s CM’s discretion as to who should be his PSO and who should not”, Rather asserted and urged media not to read too much in “routine administrative matters”.

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NC kingmaker’s death exposes political corruption in J&K

BJP’s cross-voting, NC’s and PDP’s tickets to defeated candidates and businessmen, freezing of action against corrupt officials and reducing Commissions to post-retirement rehabilitation centres are a few indicators

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Oct 1: Clamour over a custodial death is paramount to all issues in a conflict area. It quite often eclipses issues and concerns of equal or more importance. That is exactly what has begun to happen over the death of National Conference’s kingmaker Syed Mohammad Yousuf. Death of an accused at Chief Minister’s residence, whether natural or by torture, is undoubtedly unprecedented. But, should the politicians and representatives of other institutions restrict their concern to only the investigation of ‘torture killing” and punishment to the “killers”?

Even on the presumption of torture killing, political corruption remains the fundamental concern. It is arguably not a matter of only human rights abuse as witnessed in hundreds of fake encounters, custodial killings and torture deaths in interrogation centres. Had Yousuf not collected money, he would not have died. Had there been no system of collecting money under different excuses in political parties, Yousuf would not have raised the fund---for himself, his party or the party leaders is still shrouded in mystery.

Chief Minister could conveniently get a benefit of doubt in matters where “coalition compulsions” are understandable. Tolerating brazen corruption of Ministers of the coalition partners and freezing departmental action against powerful bureaucrats and officers enjoying high political clout could be all ignored as the subjects beyond his reach. But, shutting eyes to his own flock and reducing the system to an unclean government headed by a clean leader would be hardly acceptable.

Does the coalition constraint prevent Chief Minister from taking action against eight Ministers of his Council who have placed their close relatives, including serving and retired officials, in their personal sections. It may not require CCTV surveillance to know what these “experienced” aides of Ministers are doing at their offices and residences. With due respect to makers of high claims in the past, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and Ghulam Nabi Azad included, files do disappear in Civil Secretariat in 2011. Files not followed by concerned remain folded for months and years on tables. Movement Register, first promised by Mufti and Azad, continues to be a dream.

It needs to be clear that NC alone is not to blame. Omar Abdullah undoubtedly suffers from the dubious distinction of keeping vital positions in different Commissions vacant for years. Equally negative against him goes the fact of his dumping a brigade of defeated candidates in what used to be called the ‘House of Elders’. Some of the nincompoops rejected by their electorate in 2008 Assembly elections were pushed to the House of Lords through fixed-match election. Others were introduced to Governor Vohra as “intellectuals”. Without a mild question, Raj Bhawan did what none of the gubernatorial offices in India could imagine.

Raj Bhawan would have found it easy to trample the Constitution on the precedence of men like Mohammad Sultan Panditpuri having passed off as “scientists, academics and intellectuals” in the past! Taking advantage of the “rubber stamp”, Government has now distributed three top positions in State Information Commission (SIC) between NC, Congress and PDP or at least Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh. Even a member of the selection committee has publicly expressed pride that Ladakh had got a representation. Civil society has interpreted it as a classic case of political expediency. In other words, many of these much-hyped Commissions have been reduced to rehabilitation centres for retiring or retired officials and blue-eyed boys of politicians.

Few years back, allotment of NC’s ticket to a leading transporter in Jammu for a seat in Legislative Council had raised eyebrows as the businessman had overtly bought MLAs to ensure his victory. Selling and buying of MLAs touched its worst level when as many as seven MLAs of BJPs indulged in cross-voting in this year’s elections for some seats of Legislative Council. Volumes have been spoken and reams have been written on their violation of anti-defection law. Fact of the matter is that none of them has been disqualified till date.

Around the same time, NC ignored many of its meritorious and high profile aspirants and granted tickets to nonagenarians businesspersons whose contribution to the House has been and would be zero. It was just the high publicity to a murder case that stopped another businessman from Jammu to become MLC for next six years.

PDP has been second to none in promotion of businessmen and “fund raisers” in political and democratic institutions. First, it allotted a ticket to a businessman for Rajya Sabha. He reportedly spent huge amounts of money but still failed to cross the target. This year too, it ignored everybody from intellectual Naeem Akhtar to senior and high profile leaders like Dilawar Mir and Tariq Hameed Qarra and instead picked up the green horn son of a rich businessman. He was lucky enough to make it to Upper House.

Until the ambit of judicial investigation is extended to know who paid money to Yousuf Bhat of Ganderbal and for what purpose did Salam Rishi and Yousuf Bhat forward it to Syed Mohammad Yousuf, demon of political corruption would not die in Jammu and Kashmir. Deaths in custody would be only an off-shoot.

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NC’s ‘king maker’ dies in Crime Branch custody

PDP demands resignation of CM, MoS Home; CM announces judicial probe, shunts out security officers

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Sep 30: Death of a prominent National Conference (NC) activist, who was known for collecting huge amounts of money from political aspirants and had free access to top corridors of power, allegedly in custody of Crime Branch (CB) of Jammu & Kashmir Police has stirred a hornets’ nest in the summer capital today. Even as Government admitted that the NC activist had collected whopping sum of Rs 1.18 Cr from two other NC activists and a judicial inquiry was announced immediately, opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) demanded resignation of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Minister of State for Home, Nasir Aslam Wani, “to facilitate an expeditious and credible investigation”.

Authoritative sources disclosed to Early Times that one Syed Mohammad Yousuf S/o Syed Ghulam Ahmad R/o Loktipora, Bijbehara, died in mysterious circumstances at SMHS in the wee hours today. He had been called by Minister of State for Home, Nasir Aslam Wani, yesterday to reach Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s residence “to settle a dispute” with NC’s Block President of Ganderbal, Mohammad Yousuf Bhat S/o Ghulam Rasool Bhat R/o Repora, Ganderbal, and another NC activist, Abdul Salam Rishi R/o Gul Mohammad Rishi R/o Akingam, Anantnag.

Earlier on Thursday, Yousuf Bhat had approached Chief Minister at his office in Legislative Assembly with the complaint that Syed Yousuf had taken from him an amount of Rs 84 Lakh with the assurance that he would be appointed as a Member of Legislative Council (MLC) to represent Panchayats of Kashmir division and thereafter inducted as a Minister of State. Abdul Salam Rishi too approached Chief Minister with the complaint that Syed Yousuf had taken from him an amount of Rs 34 Lakh with the assurance that he would be inducted as MLC.

Chief Minister, according to informed sources, learned that some officials from his personal security had granted free access to Syed Yousuf to all corridors of power from Chief Minister’s Secretariat to his residence on Gupkar Road “for dubious reasons”. He turned furious, called his close aide and MoS Home Nasir Aslam Wani with the direction that the matter be investigated “by this evening”. He was also directed to collect the money back in full, if the charge was established, return the same to Bhat and Rishi, hand over the accused to CB and ban the entry of all such persons of dubious antecedents to his office and residence.

MoS Home assured Chief Minister that he would obey strictly as desired by him. He called Syed Yousuf as well as both the complainants for resolving the crisis at CM’s residence in the evening. Syed Yousuf reportedly called on MoS Home at his official residence in Sonwar. He admitted to have collected money and assured Wani that he would return it in full to the complainants.

Even after the money was collected back almost fully from the accused and returned to complainants, MoS Home called IG Crime, Raja Aijaz Ali, to CM’s residence and handed over Syed Yousuf to him for further action and also to see if he had committed similar cheating with other people. Reports awaiting confirmation said that Syed Yousuf was beaten up either at CM’s party office or at CB headquarters. He began vomiting and was rushed to Police Hospital. Doctors referred him to SMHS Hospital where he remained under treatment for several hours and finally breathed his last in the morning.

While as many people believed that Syed Yousuf died due to severe beating at NC’s camp office, other were of the opinion that he died due to torture by interrogators at CB headquarters. IG Crime Raja Aijaz did not respond to phone calls. However, later this afternoon, an official spokesman claimed that Syed Yousuf “suffered a massive heart attack and expired”.

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Syed Yousuf: Militant-turned-NC’s kingmaker

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Sep 30: Without regard to situation, turmoil or peace, Syed Mohmmad Yousuf of Loktipora, Bijbehara, mastered the art of living---little knowing that he would die one day on the state’s most protected premises.

A Government school-teacher, Yousuf lost no time in switching his loyalty to Hizbul Mujahideen when secessionist militancy was at its peak in early 1990s. With waning of Hizb’s influence, he built a network of the officials of School Education Department that included over a dozen headmasters, Principals, Zonal Education Officers and at least three Chief Educational Officers in Anantnag district. His network meticulously managed to absorb 100 to 150 youth as teachers at different schools. Rate of Rs 50,000 stood fixed for each absorption.

Crime Branch sleuths later learned that the modus operandi was unique. ZEOs and CEOs would issue “transfer orders” shifting “teachers” (who had never been appointed) from one school to another. Fake LPCs followed and all of them took home salaries. In 1995, then Director of School Education, Mohammad Amin Khan, made all possible efforts to dismiss the fraudulently absorbed teachers. He was silenced by Ikhwan guerrilla cadres. Khan had disadvantage of being a resident of Mattan, in the same district.

And when both, militants as well as counter-insurgents, were marginalized in 1996, Yousuf lost no time to gain proximity to NC’s patron Dr Farooq Abdullah. He influenced distribution of tickets to some extent in 2002 Assembly elections. Six years later, Yousuf was a veritable kingmaker in the party that returned to power after Amarnath turmoil.

According to well-placed insiders, Yousuf had ultimate say in distribution of NC’s tickets in Assembly elections on 2008 in south Kashmir. “Contributions” ranged between Rs 7 Lakh and Rs 30 Lakh.

Close to Farooq Abdullah and NC General Secretary Sheikh Nazir Ahmed—later also to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah through his intimate coterie, it was Syed Yousuf who ultimately decided who would be picked up as MLC and who would go to Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. According to party sources, he cleared two young NC aspirants, who were both defeated candidates of Assembly elections, for two vacancies in Legislative Council in March 2009 only after receiving cash payment of Rs 30 Lakhs. One of the duo was picked up as MLC inspite having dubious past and shared business with PDP’s MLA of Home Shalibugh and former Minister of State for Health Abdul Gaffar Sofi.

In NC, many believe it was none other Yousuf who managed to get over half-a-dozen defeated candidates nominated or elected as MLC, all on cash payment. Nobody is sure whether the huge amounts of money went upto the top brass in NC or Yousuf held it fully to himself. He is believed to have comfortably handle transactions of over Rs 10 Crore in the last three years of Omar Abdullah’s government.

Official confirmation of Yousuf having received Rs 84 lakh from NC’s Block President of Ganderbal, Mohammad Yousuf Bhat, (reliably for making him MLC and MoS) and Rs 34 Lakh from Abdul Salam Rishi of Akingam (for making him MLC) is said to be just a tip of the iceberg.

Yousuf was known for his free access to who is who in top corridors of power. They include everybody from union Minister and NC Patron Farooq Abdullah to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, all other Ministers and Advisors belonging to NC, besides most of the senior officers of Police and civil administration. He was prominently in control of arrangements when an IGP Farooq Ahmad managed to regain his grace through a court case and later arranged a grand Wazwan at his home for most of the influential politicians, bureaucrats and Police officers. Significantly, both Dr Farooq Abdullah as well as Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, besides everybody in Police and bureaucracy attended the feast.

Yousuf is believed to have settled things between IPS officer Faroooq Ahmad, whose service had been terminated earlier for discrepancy in date of birth, and the state government that wasted not a second to entertain Farooq back at Police headquarters. Meaningfully, Government did not go in appeal against the order of the single judge of J&K High Court. Party cadres, as well as reliable official sources, insist that even the most powerful Police and civil officers would manage their prize postings through Yousuf, who carried the reputation of being “the most trusted service provider”.

Few months back, Yousuf assured NC’s top brass that it would take him just 24 hours to engineer a split in PDP. However, the proposal was not approved by the party high command and the government. He was strongly suspected of a role in secretly winning liaison of five MLAs of PDP with the NC.

Yousuf would manage everything from allotment of contracts and supply orders to arrangements of seats for the sons and daughters of his clients---mostly politicians, businessmen and bureaucrats---in professional colleges. In 2009, he collected a sum of Rs 28 Lakh from PDP’s MLA of Tral, Mushtaq Ahmad Shah, with the assurance that he would arrange two MBBS seats in non-resident Indian quota at ASSCOMS (Batra Medical College of Jammu) for the politician’s two daughters through the good offices of his “boss in NC”.

When he failed to honour the commitment to his client, the MLA asked him to return the money. As Yousuf resorted to dilly dally, MLA got him under tremendous pressure from a many quarters. He even threatened to sell off Yousuf’s newly acquired residential house at Kadalbal, Pampore.  After a great deal of trouble, MLA managed to get back his money but less by Rs 4 Lakh. Yousuf returned to him just Rs 24 Lakh.

NC’s lately elected MLC, Dr Bashir Ahmad Veeri, is also known to have paid a considerable amount of money to Yousuf before he was picked up from among a dozen of aspirants in the NC in South Kashmir.

Yousuf finally landed in trouble when his collection of Rs 84 Lakh from NC’s Ganderbal Block President, Mohammad Yousuf Bhat, on account of making him MLA and Minister of State leaked in the organisation as well as Government. In separate inquiries, CID and Intelligence Bureau found that Yousuf had also collected Rs 34 Lakh from Abdul Salam Rishi of Akingam for making him MLC. Elections to fill up four Panchayat vacancies in J&K Legislative Council are likely to be held in the next two months. Yousuf has died but at least four to five more Yousuf’s are still believed to be calling the shots in Chief Minister’s organisation and the Government. With or without his knowledge? Only a thorough investigation could reveal.

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Govt says ‘cardiac arrest’, orders judicial probe

Early Times Report

SRINAGAR, Sep 30: None of the politicians of the ruling National Conference, including Ministers and legislators, besides Government officials, agreed to make comment on Syed Mohammad Yousuf, his death in custody or activities. However, this evening an unidentified government official circulated the following statement through state Information Department.

 “According the Government spokesman  on 29-09-2011 during the Assembly Session a party worker, namely Shri Mohammad Yousuf Bhat S/o Ghulam Rasool Bhat R/o Rapora, Ganderbal, at present 5-A, Tulsibagh accompanied by another party worker, Shri Abdul Salam Rishi S/o Gull Mohammad Rishi R/o Akingam, Kokernag approached the office of Hon’ble Chief Minister in the Assembly Complex with a complaint against another party worker namely Sayeed Mohammad Yousuf S/o Sayeed Ghulam Ahmed R/o Loktipora, Bijbehara.

The complainants were asked to report with their grievances at the Camp Office in the afternoon. The party worker namely Sayeed Mohammad Yousuf S/o Sayeed Ghulam Ahmed R/o Loktipora, Bijbehara ,against whom allegations were leveled, was also called at the Camp Office during the same time so as to listen to the grievances of the complainants. On being confronted by the complainants, Sayeed Mohammad Yousuf admitted to having received an amount of Rs 84 lacs from Shri Mohammad Yousuf Bhat and Rs 34 lacs from Shri Abdul Salam Rishi with a promise to facilitate undue favours to the complainants from the Government.

On realizing that the complaint involved serious allegations, IGP Crime, J&K, was called and directed toverify the facts and take further necessary action under rules. All the three persons were asked by IGP Crime, J&K, to report to Crime Police Headquarters. However, Sayeed Mohammad Yousuf reported uneasiness and nauseatic and as such, he was asked to move to one of the escort vehicles of IGP Crime. Simultaneously an ambulance and doctor were also called to facilitate immediate medical examination. On reaching Crime Police Headquarters, the Medical Officer examined Sayeed Mohammad Yousuf and declared him to be all right.

However, being a protected person, Sayeed Mohammad Yousuf was sent to Police Hospital Srinagar, along with the Medical officer for a detailed medical examination. Sayeed Mohammad Yousuf was given further medical treatment at Police Hospital Srinagar and kept under medical observations in the hospital itself. On the morning of 30-09-2011, as he was complaining of slight abdomen pain, the doctors advised him to undergo an ultrasound test. However, before undergoing the ultra-sound test Sayeed Mohammad Yousuf suffered a massive heart attack and expired.

In view of the sensitivity of the matter District Magistrate, Srinagar, was requested to constitute a Board of Doctors to carry out the post-mortem under the supervision of an Executive Magistrate in the presence of the legal heirs of the deceased. The Principal Government Medical College, Srinagar, has constituted a Board of Doctors to carry out the post-mortem. The post-mortem has been videographed. The dead body has been handed over to the legal heirs for burial.

However, in order to allay apprehensions and in order to ensure an impartial investigation, the State Government has decided to request the Hon’ble Chief Justice of the J&K High Court to nominate a sitting judge of the High Court to conduct a judicial enquiry into the immediate circumstances leading to the death of Sayeed Mohammad Yousuf S/o Sayeed Ghulam Ahmad R/o Loktipora, Bijbehara”.

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Baig asks CM, MoS Home to step down

 Early Times Report

SRINAGAR, Sep 30: At a hurriedly organized news conference at Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s official residence, senior PDP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister, Muzaffar Hussain Baig, asked both, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, as well as his close confidante and MoS Home, Nasir Aslam Wani, to step down.

Baig argued that an independent, free and fair, credible and expeditious investigation was not possible as both CM and MoS Home, according to him, were in the dock over their party activist Syed Mohammad Yousuf’s death in mysterious circumstances.

Baig revealed that Yousuf’s son, Syed Talib, called PDP office today with the allegation that his father had been done to death. According to Baig’s disclosure, Talib told the PDP leaders that his father called him at 6.30 p.m on Thursday to inform family members that he was “under severe physical torture”. Thereafter, his telephone was switched off till Police communicated to the family that he had died at hospital and the dead body required to be taken for funeral after the post mortem.

Baig said that CM and MoS Home could return to office once they would be found “not involved in the killing”. His demand came despite the fact that Chief Minister ordered a judicial inquiry and asked Chief Secretary Madhav Lal to request Chief Justice FM Kalifullah to spare a sitting High Court judge for conducting the judicial investigation.

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CM fires security staff

Early Times Report

SRINAGAR, Sep 30: According to highly placed authoritative sources, immediately after learning about huge transactions by his party workers and their free access to his office and residence---some insist they were also partners----Chief Minister Omar Abdullah ordered shifting of at least four of his closes security officers.

SSG’s Sub Inspector SP Singh, who is actually a radio operator from Police Telecommunications, was the first to be fired in the afternoon on Thursday. Even his replacement was not sought immediately.

Later in the evening on Thursday, over CM’s express directions, Director General of Police Kuldeep Khoda ordered transfer of CM’s high profile PSO, Dy SP Shabir Ahmad, who was removed from SSG and appointed as Dy SP headquarters in Kulgam in place of Amarjit Singh. Singh replaced Amanat Ali Shah as Staff Officer to DIG Udhampur Riasi who was transferred and appointed as Dy Commandant in IRP 1^st battalion.

Another of Dy SP from SSG, Nasir Ahmad Zari, was shifted from CM’s Security and appointed as Staff Officer to DIG Udhampur Riasi.

Shabir Ahmad had remained attached to Mr Omar Abdullah as his PSO ever since he joined active politics and contested his first Lok Sabha election in 1998. In 2009, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah elevated Shabir from the post of Inspector to gazetted service as Dy SP. The controversial out-of-turn promotion, in which Shabir superseded over a hundred of his senior colleagues, raised eyebrows in Police Department.

Sources said that another reshuffle in SSG was well on cards.

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