The Legislative Assembly on Monday witnessed noisy scenes over the killing of three civilians in Billawar, Kathua and a controversial fashion show in Gulmarg.
As the Question Hour began, National Conference (NC) and Congress legislators demanded a discussion on the civilian killings in Billawar.
VIDEO | "What happened in Kathua is unfortunate. Those who control the police (referring to J-K L-G) should answer this. They should answer why the crime rate is rising in here," says Jammu and Kashmir Deputy CM Surinder Kumar Choudhary on Kathua deaths.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 10, 2025
(Full video available… pic.twitter.com/f66nKq3eCi
Amid the uproar, MLA Bani Dr Rameshwar Singh who was manhandled on Saturday night in Billawar attempted to storm into the Well of the House but was restrained by marshals.
Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather urged NC legislators to maintain decorum and return to their seats, but they remained firm in their protests.
Meanwhile, MLA Kupwara Mir Muhammad Fayaz called for strict action against those responsible for organising the controversial fashion show in Gulmarg.
As disruptions continued, the Speaker clarified that the Assembly could not deliberate on the Billawar killings, citing Section 32 of the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, which places police and public order outside the legislature’s purview.
"The Lieutenant Governor has already ordered an investigation into the incident," he said.
Regarding the fashion show, the Speaker said that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had already initiated an inquiry, making it ineligible for discussion in the House.
He also condemned the attack on MLA Bani and demanded an investigation.
The three civilians—Yogesh Singh, 32, Darshan Singh, 40, and Varun Singh, 15—went missing on 5 March while travelling to a wedding in Lohai Malhar.
Their bodies were discovered in Ishu Nallah on 8 March, triggering widespread outrage in the area.
On February 16, bodies of two civilians, Shamseer and Roshan Lal, were found in Bilawar in Kathua.
The two had been strangled to death. Their bodies were recovered near a stream at Batheri.
With law and order under the jurisdiction of the Lieutenant Governor (LG) Manoj Sinha, the National Conference and MLA Bani tried to corner Sinha on the matter.
After the recovery of the bodies of three civilians in Billwar, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan Sunday chaired a high-level review meeting – his first in Jammu – to assess the security, law and order situation across J&K.
Meanwhile, protest broke out in Kathua today against the killing of three civilians. The locals demanded the deployment of Army in the upper reaches of the district to flush out the militants.
The protesters also blocked the national highway at Kalibari and burned effigies of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
