Jammu BJP MLA Threatens Journalists of Death

BJP MLA Lal Singh threatened journalists of death if they “cross the line”.

Chaudhary Lal Singh of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), an MLA and former minister in Mehbooba-led government, is no better than a goon. On Friday he openly gave death threats to journalists representing the  Kashmir media if they refused to fall in line.

He told journalists at a press conference that if they fail to fall in line, they will face a “Shujaat-like incident” referring to the way Rising Kashmir editor Shujaat Bukhari was killed recently.

This MLA is dangerous. He is a goon in MLA’s cloths. If what he has said is not a death threat to journalists, what is? He should be immediately booked for intimidation and threat to kill and put behind bars.

BJP president Amith Shah is in Kashmir today. He should summon Lal Singh and show him the door.

Singh was upset at how journalists were creating “wrong narrative regarding the Kathua rape-and-murder case.” Does that mean that what he is saying is the right narrative? And pray, what is the line he is referring to? Does he expect journalist to toe his line?

Singh was ousted from the cabinet for rallying in support accused in the brutal gangrape-and-murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua earlier this year.

Demanding a CBI probe into Kathua case, Singh while addressing a press conference in Jammu, said: “They (Kashmir’s journalists) have created wrong atmosphere about the whole case. Now, I would like to ask them to draw a line of journalism and think about how to live.”

Raking up the gruesome murder of ‘Rising Kashmir’ chief editor Shujaat Bukhari, he said: “Are they (journalists) waiting for similar incident that has happened with Basharat (apparently referring to Shujaat)?”

“It’s better to control yourself before situation gets worse,” he said, adding, “They (journalists) must draw a line so that brotherhood in the state remains intact and we also join the journey of development.”

Singh is not new to controversies. In 2016, he threatened a delegation of Gujjar farmers by reminding them of the massacre of Muslims in Jammu region following Partition in 1947.

Earlier, his brother Rajinder Singh abused former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti during a rally in Hiranagar. He was later arrested from Rajasthan by Kathua police.