Sainik Colony row: Omar offers proof, dares Mehbooba to file case against him

New Delhi: Hitting back at Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti for alleging that he was cooking up rumours regarding the controversy surrounding the residential colonies for armed forces personnel, her predecessor Omar Abdullah on Monday revealed the copy of a document showing that land has been allotted by the state government in Jammu and Kashmir and dared her to counter his charges or file a case against him.

Taking to his Twitter account, Omar posted a picture from a document regarding allotment ‘of 350 kanals of land for Sainik Colony at Srinagar’ and said, “If you have the guts & truly believe this image is fake file a case against me in the nearest police station TODAY!!”

The National Conference leader added if Mehbooba does not file a case against him in the next 24 hours then the people will come to know who is lying in this matter.

Earlier today, the Chief Minister had stressed on the fact that no such land had been allotted by the state government and called on Omar to stop indulging in rumour-mongering.

“First of all, no such land has been allotted in the matter and secondly, the demand has been made by the soldiers who belong from Jammu and Kashmir. But until today the government has never allotted any land to them,” Mufti told reporters.

Asserting that Omar was repeating his mistake of churning up old facts and presenting them as new developments, she added that he should not indulge in spreading such rumours right ahead of a busy tourist season.

“He should not indulge in such activities. Why is he stirring up trouble now and spreading rumours when it is tourist season? I appeal to the people not to fall for such rumours,” Mufti added.

Earlier, Omar had said the glaring contradiction of the PDP-BJP Government in Jammu and Kashmir on the proposal, which is in violation of Article 370, had given rise to apprehensions about their underlying political motive.

“Considering their record of over the past one year, the people have serious apprehensions. It could be a ruse to settle non-state subjects in Kashmir and hence bypass Article 370,” he said while addressing his party workers in Baramulla district.

In April 2015, the Rajya Sainik Board (RSB), headed by Governor N N Vohra, approved establishment of a Sainik Colony in Srinagar close to the old airport.

In a note to the Home department, the RSB said 173 kanals (21.6 acres) of land had been identified for the Sainik Colony and approval had been sought from then chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. (ANI)