Engineer Rashid's beef party provoked Kashmir trucker's killing, says PDP leader

Days after the killing of a 16-year-old trucker Zahid Rasool Bhat in Kashmir sparked outrage in the state, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged that the attackers were provoked by a beef party organized by independent MLA Engineer Rashid in the state. [caption id=“attachment_2479626” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. Image courtesy: PTI[/caption] Senior PDP leader Peerzada Mansoor Ahmad said that the beef party hosted by independent MLA Engineer Rashid provoked people in the Jammu region, DNA reported. Ahmad reportedly said that “Islam says we should not provoke but respect other communities.” The PDP’s comment drew a sharp reaction from the boy’s father. Ghulam Rasool, said that it was ‘unfair and unjust’ to blame Rashid for the death, Kashmir Life reported. Rasool was reported to have said that the independent MLA, unlike the PDP, ‘did not appease the RSS and its coterie.’ The PDP is in power in the J&K state government in alliance with the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP). Zahid died after an attack carried out allegedly by a Hindu mob. After his death, violence erupted in several parts of the state, with protesters blocking the Jammu-Srinagar highway. After Zahid’s death, Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq had said that the government was to blame for the incident as it failed to provide security to the trucker. Separatist leaders later called for a shutdown in the Kashmir valley.