J&K Police Van Distributes Food Packets to BJP Workers At Rally, Video Viral

SRINAGAR: A BJP rally in restive south Kashmir on Saturday created a social



Media outcry after unidentified men in a Jammu and Kashmir police vehicle were seen distributing food packets to the workers of the ruling party.

In a swift response, the J&K Police said the vehicle was deployed for ferrying “escort personnel” of “a protected person.”

“The vehicle has been withdrawn from said protected person and driver of the vehicle has been attached,” a J&K Police spokesman said.

“Enquiry into the matter has been ordered under rules,” the spokesman added.

The rally captured on video was held in the highly garrisoned civil lines areas of Anantnag town. It is the first of its kind rally by the BJP in restive south Kashmir which has borne the brunt of the BJP’s ‘iron hand’ policy. It was chaired by the BJP’s national general secretary Ram Madhav.

According to reports, the rally was attended by 250 to 300 workers of the party besides the top Kashmir BJP leaders including Sofi Yusuf, a member of the state’s legislative council and the party’s candidate for poll-bound Anantnag parliamentary constituency, Khalid Jehangir, who fought against Dr Farooq Abdullah on Srinagar constituency, and others.

According to party sources, the rally was scheduled to be held in Kulgam district, which is going to polls on Monday in the second leg of three phased election for Anantnag seat, but the venue was changed for “security reasons”.

People familiar with the matter said the video, which has gone viral on social media, was filmed on Saturday afternoon outside the Dak Bungalow in Anantnag town, the new venue of the BJP’s rally.

The video shows an unruly group of men climbing over mesh iron fence to grab the food packets borne in a police vehicle that are being distributed by two men in civilian clothes.

The ‘J&K Police’ is prominently displayed in red on the white Maruti Gypsy vehicle. Buntings of BJP are prominently visible in the area where the video has been shot.

Visibly upset by the disclosure, former chief minister Omar Abdullah took an oblong swipe at the J&K police and the BJP.

“Well done @JmuKmrPolice. You have always helped the needy and this is another example. You have set aside your obligations under the election code of conduct to help a political party in need but please confine it to drinks/food. We hope you will not be as generous with bogus voting,”