Won't allow anyone to disturb communal harmony: J&K CM Omar Abdullah

Srinagar: J&K CM Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said that some people want to disturb communal harmony, but his government will not allow them to create "jungle raj" in the region.

His remarks came after Tanvir Ahmad Chopan, in his twenties, went missing. He was intercepted, thrashed and chased allegedly by "cow vigilantes" before he was seen jumping into a water stream locally known as Battery Chashma in J&K's Ramban.

The CM urged LG Manoj Sinha to take strict action against those responsible as well as those attempting to vitiate the atmosphere.


Officials continued the search for the third consecutive day on Tuesday. An SIT has been formed to probe the case. Acting on eyewitness accounts, police has so far detained at least four suspects.

Family members, relatives, and members of the nomadic Gujjar community staged a protest on the National Highway in the Banihal area of Ramban on Monday. Protests continued in Mundkhal Pogal in Ukhral tehsil of Ramban, Chopan's native village.

"We want justice. He was my only son. We spoke on the phone a few hours before he went missing. We want his killers to be punished. Let the police make the CCTV footage and witness statements public," said Chopan's mother. "There should be no cover up in this case. We hope such incidents are not repeated. Our community has been targeted for a long time," said Chopan's neighbours.