Omar Abdullah seeks strict action in terror cases, calls for protection of innocent Kashmiris

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday supported stringent punishment for all those involved in the “white-collar” terror module and the Delhi blast case, but stressed that innocent Kashmiri Muslim civilians must not be harmed.

The Chief Minister also raised serious questions over the storage and handling of explosives at the Nowgam Police Station, where a blast claimed nine lives and left many injured.

Advertisement

“People deserve answers on how such a large quantity of explosives found its way into a police station, how it was stored, and how such a lapse could occur,” he said.

After meeting those injured in the accidental blast, Omar told reporters in Srinagar, “I raised the issue yesterday at the North Zone Chief Ministers’ Conference as well. The Union Home Minister, the Union Home Secretary, Chief Ministers of the North Zone, Governors and Lieutenant Governors were present. I appealed to them not to view every citizen of J&K, especially every Kashmiri Muslim, with suspicion.”

Omar said that while those involved in the terror module, especially in the Delhi blast, must be arrested and given stringent punishment, “innocent people, who have no connection with it and have always raised their voices against violence, should not be dragged into this domain.” He expressed hope that the Centre would pay heed to his concerns.

“Every Kashmiri or Muslim should not be linked to the incident. The investigation must be based on facts, not assumptions,” he said.

The Chief Minister stated that a formal probe has already been initiated into the Nowgam incident and emphasised that it must thoroughly examine why such a large quantity of explosives was stored at the police station, the conditions under which they were kept, and how they were handled.

“The probe will look into why such a large quantity of explosives was present, under what conditions they were stored, and how they were being handled. For now, I only want to express my sympathy and respect for the victims. But we also need answers to all these questions,” he said.

Omar added that since the explosion occurred inside a police station, he expected the Home Department to provide financial assistance for rebuilding and repairing the private houses damaged in the blast.

“Funds are available with the Home Department. From that fund, the affected house owners should also be given some money so that the damage to their houses can be repaired,” he said.