Had approached police for security in J&K says BJP

Srinagar, Aug 18: The BJP on Wednesday contested the police claim that the law enforcing agency was not approached for the security of Javaid Ahmad Dar, its worker shot dead by militants in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district.

Shortly after Dar's killing on Tuesday, police had said they were not approached for his security.

"The JKP statement is baseless and is based on malice designed," BJP's Kulgam president Abid Hussain Khan said in a statement.

According to officials, the assailants fired upon Dar near his residence in the Brazloo Jageer area of the south Kashmir district at around 4.30 pm on Tuesday.

A police spokesman had said Dar was a contractor by profession.

According to the district police, no one had approached it for providing security to him (Dar) and even local BJP leaders did not share his name in the list of PPs (protected persons), he said.

However, Khan claimed that he had met the Kulgam Deputy Commissioner on August 10 and made a proper representation on the BJP letterhead about the need for providing security to 30 party workers in the district.

"Javaid Ahmad Dar is at serial number 5 in the list and same was forwarded to SSP Kulgam through Whatsapp," Khan added.

He said while some of the party workers were accommodated at safe locations but Dar was among those left out.

Khan appealed to the Jammu and Kashmir administration to investigate the matter.

"There are 1,270 designated (BJP) karyakartas from district Kulgam who work for the welfare of common people. The LG administration should investigate the matter within 48 hours or it shall be responsible for (safety) of our karyakartas," he said, adding "nine workers were killed in last two years" in Kulgam district alone.