SC issues notice to J&K govt over NC workers death

The Supreme Court has issued notice to the state government of Jammu and Kashmir, the centre, and the principle secretary of the home department, over the death of Haji Yousuf - a national conference worker who died in police custody. They have been given two weeks to reply. [caption id=“attachment_119561” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“AFP”]  [/caption]Yusuf and two other NC workers had been summoned to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s residence on 29 September. The two workers, Abdul Salam Reshi and Mohammed Yusuf Bhat, had complained that Yusuf had taken over Rs one crore from them for getting them membership of the legislative council or ministerships. Abdullah has said that when he found that the allegation against Yusuf was of a serious nature, he had immediately asked the Minister of State for Home, Nasir Wani, to call the IG (Crime) Raja Aijaz and hand the three over to him so that the investigation could proceed further. “As far as I was concerned, my involvement in this case ended at that point. It is only unfortunate that the next day Haji Yusuf died of a massive heart attack and the political opposition has tried to make a controversy out of it,” he said. The main opposition PDP has however alleged that Yousuf was killed by the police on the orders of the Chief Minister. Proceedings of the state assembly were repeatedly halted because of the issue, and the PDP have called for Abdullah’s resignation. The case in the Supreme Court was filed by leader of the Panthers Party, Bhim Singh.