Jammu, Mar 31 : Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary on Tuesday said the safety of legislators cannot be compromised and called for an immediate review of the recent security withdrawal decisions in Jammu and Kashmir.
Speaking with reporters in Jammu, Dy CM, per media said that threat perception must remain the sole basis for providing security to elected representatives and mainstream political leaders. He said any decision driven by discretion rather than ground assessment could put lives at risk.
He urged the Lieutenant Governor to personally review the withdrawal of security, particularly in view of past militant attacks on political figures, adding that several legislators had been targeted earlier and such incidents demand a cautious approach.
The Deputy Chief Minister said the security scenario in the region cannot be described as fully normal. He referred to official acknowledgements about the presence of militants and said reducing protection at this stage was not advisable.
He also called for uniformity in security arrangements, stating that all legislators should receive protection strictly as per assessed threat levels without any partial treatment.
Raising concerns over security cover being extended to individuals without any defined role in mainstream politics, Dy CM questioned the criteria for such allocations and called for transparency and rationalisation.
Reacting to remarks made by MLA Sajad Gani Lone during a heated exchange in the House, the Deputy Chief Minister said Lone, despite being a victim of militancy, appeared to have taken the issue lightly and attempted to politicise it.
