Don’t view every Kashmiri with suspicion, says CM Omar

The statement came after many residents of the Valley raised concerns that majority of the Kashmiri students or professionals are facing increased scrutiny in rest of the country after the Delhi car blast which killed at least 12 people

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said that no innocent Kashmiri Muslim should face suspicion owing to the investigation in the aftermath of November 10 Delhi car blast, adding that those responsible should face the harshest punishment.

J&K CM Omar Abdullah meets the family members of the Nowgam blast victims in Srinagar on Tuesday. (ANI)

The statement came after many residents of the Valley raised concerns that majority of the Kashmiri students or professionals are facing increased scrutiny in rest of the country after the Delhi car blast which killed at least 12 people. Investigators have identified Umar un Nabi, a doctor from Kashmir’s Pulwama who was working in Al Falah University in Faridabad, as the driver of the vehicle.

“I raised the issue in North Zone chief ministers conference which was attended by Union home minister, home secretary, all the CMs of north zone and some governors and LGs. I requested them all that every resident of J&K particularly every Muslim of Kashmir should not be seen from the prism of suspicion. Those who are responsible for this incident particularly involved in Delhi blast should be arrested and given strictest punishment. But those who are innocent and have no connection with this or have raised their voices against violence , they should not be brought into this circle. I have raised this issue and I hope that will be implemented,” Omar told media in Srinagar.

National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested two persons in the case so far. On Sunday, the agency arrested Amir Rashid Ali, a plumber from Kashmir who owned the vehicle that Nabi was driving and on Monday, Jasbir Bilal Wani, 20, another “active co-conspirator” linked to the deadly November 10 Red Fort blast was arrested.

Earlier J&K police, in joint operation with security agencies of other states, had busted the ‘white collar terror module’ and arrested seven persons, including two Kashmir doctors Dr Muzammil Ganaie, also working at Al Falah, and Dr Adeel Rather, and recovered some 3,000 kg of explosives and devices from Faridabad.

The CM also said that people should also get answers over the November 14 blast in Nowgam police station, where some of the explosives transported from Faridabad were being sampled. “Many innocent lives were lost in this incident, including people from FSL, administration and those who had no connection with govt and many more are injured in a hospital. Investigation has started on how and why this happened. I hope people get the answers because this should not have happened. How much quantity of explosives was brought here, how were they transported and stored, and how they were dealt with, we will slowly get answers to these questions,” he said.

Omar also visited the families of those who lost their loved ones in the Nowgam accidental explosion and also visited the injured in a private hospital. “I am thankful to the hospital because they reached here first, they didn’t wait for the phone, they just saw an explosion from their windows and sent an ambulance. Their team reached first and started extracting the injured. Even now many of the injured are in their hospital, including four, who are in ICU. We hope for their swift recovery,” he said.

Omar said that compensation from CM’s fund has already been announced while urging the home ministry and LG to put in their efforts as well. “We have already announced (financial) compensation from CM’s relief fund ( ₹10 lakh each to the dead and ₹1 lakh to each injured). Regarding the structural damage to the houses, the concerned MLA talked to me and a case is being prepared. We will give whatever we can as per the procedure. Since this blast happened in a police station, we can hope that the funds with the home department and the funds from us which are kept with LG, the house owners should get some money from these funds, so that their houses are repaired,” he said.

“I will also ask government to process a case of job for the family of the tailor killed in Nowgam and we will approve that,” he said.