Srinagar, Mar 18:
While senior civil and police officer in their meeting with the Election Commission of India early this month have informed the ECI team that the situation is not conducive for the Assembly Elections, former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah alleged that officers who are in favour of early state polls are being “browbeaten and threatened.” In a series of tweets on Monday, the National Conference vice-president hit out at top bureaucrats in the state alleging that they were scuttling democracy in the state. “One day we will talk about the cabal of officers in J&K who for their own selfish reasons have taken it upon themselves to scuttle democracy in the state,” Abdullah tweeted. “Some have no stakes in the state & some are looking at post retirement postings in cushy appointments. What ever their reasons they have chosen to put their personal interest ahead of the greater good,” reads his another tweet. “I’m shocked to hear how officers who have supported early assembly elections are being browbeaten & threatened using their performance appraisals against them to get them to toe the line,” Omar said in another tweet. “No honest officer should fear these threats. We must put the greater good ahead of our personal preferences & benefits. Those people making the threats will not remain in the state for very long,” he added. The EC, while announcing the polling schedule for general elections and Assembly elections in some states, had announced that only Lok Sabha polls will be held in the state. The National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) targeted the Centre over the decision and Abdullah at the time had said that the move shows how the BJP-PDP government mishandled the state. Sources said in their interaction with the ECI, some of the deputy commissioners and the SSP’s had informed the ECI that the situation is not conducive for the Assembly election. They said some officers from Kupwara and Anantnag districts of Kashmir were, however, in favour of the holding Assembly elections simultaneously with Lok Sabha elections. One of the advisors of the governor speaking on the condition of anonymity told Outlook that each officer presented his view according to his own assessment of the situation. “There was not any unanimous view about the elections. In fact, some of the officers asked for more security forces companies,” he said. He said the Governor’s administration had passed no directions to the officers to brief the ECI that the situation is not conducive for the polls.
