Srinagar

A young Kashmiri man named Faheem Nazir from Srinagar was allegedly assaulted by Congress workers at Connaught Place in Delhi on 8th October. The clash happened during a lunch event that Congress organised for opposition MPs.

Nazir waved a poster in support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and raised slogans against Rahul Gandhi. An argument broke out with Congress workers. They reportedly beat him in front of the media. His poster was torn apart as well.

Nazir speaks out after the incident

He challenged opposition claims about EVM irregularities while speaking to the media. EVMs were introduced in 1989 during Rajiv Gandhi's tenure, he pointed out. Congress won elections in 2004 and 2009 using the same machines. "Was the Election Commission of India a thief then?" he asked.

Nazir denied using any abusive language against Rahul Gandhi. He challenged anyone to show a video proving otherwise. He said he would apologise if such proof exists. He called himself a supporter of PM Modi. He credits the drop in Kashmir terrorism to the Modi government's policies.

He also questioned the opposition's ongoing protests against EVMs and the Election Commission. Nazir made clear that he would not allow India to become Nepal or Bangladesh. He called the assault a threat to free speech. A Congress worker was later seen trying to block him during his media interview.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has raised serious concerns over the proposed Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Jammu and Kashmir. Speaking to reporters in Srinagar on Wednesday, he said the revision could be used to interfere with elections, much like the earlier delimitation exercise.

"There is a possibility that the SIR could be used in J&K in a manner similar to what had happened during the delimitation exercise. We have already been victims of this game," Omar said. He alleged that the delimitation exercise was designed to help the Bharatiya Janata Party and warned that a similar situation could happen during the electoral roll revision.

Court Action and Protests

The Chief Minister also mentioned proceedings going on in the Supreme Court, especially about Form 6. He is hopeful that this process will make it harder to exclude eligible people from voter lists. "I hope it will be difficult for them to get people out of the voter list," he added.

Omar also talked about the ongoing INDIA bloc protests against the Chief Election Commissioner and the detention of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. He called them part of a plan announced by bloc leaders after their recent Delhi meeting.

Srinagar: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has raised a sharp concern about the proposed Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Jammu and Kashmir. He fears the exercise could be used to interfere with elections in the union territory.

Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, Omar said the SIR may be used the same way the delimitation exercise was used earlier. "We have already been victims of this game. We have not forgotten the delimitation," he said, alleging that the delimitation was carried out to benefit the BJP.

Supreme Court Case Might Protect Voters

Omar is hopeful about the ongoing Supreme Court case. He thinks it might make it harder to remove names from the voter list. "I hope it will be difficult for them to get people out of the voter list," he said.

Keep your documents ready. This large scale revision can decide who stays on the rolls. Check your entry before the process begins.

Srinagar, Oct 7: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said he hopes Supreme Court proceedings will make it harder to remove names from the voter list under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), which has not been conducted in Jammu and Kashmir yet.

"Just as in the rest of the country, this is being done to tamper with elections," Abdullah told reporters. He added that J&K has already suffered from such tampering through the delimitation exercise. He made it clear that he has not forgotten what happened before.

On the INDIA bloc protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the CM stood firm. He questioned the BJP's claim that the allegations against the poll panel are made up. "Where is the fabrication? If it were fabricated, why don't they take action against the newspaper through which all this came to light?" he asked.

The INDIA bloc, he explained, decided on this course of action at a recent meeting in Delhi. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge announced a month-long calendar before the media. Abdullah said they are simply taking that forward.

Responding to a question on Prime Minister Narendra Modi completing 25 years in public life, Abdullah offered congratulations. "It is not easy to continuously win elections for 25 years, first at the state level and then at the central level," he said.

On expansion of his council of ministers, Abdullah said he would consult with NC president Farooq Abdullah after returning from a GST Council meeting in Delhi tomorrow. He also said recruitment rules are almost ready and will be notified very soon.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has welcomed Supreme Court's involvement in the issue of voter deletions during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, he said it is good that the court is raising these questions now. Supreme Court has asked for replies from Election Commission and Government of India. How much of it actually gets fixed, he added, we will have to wait and see.

How much will actually change

On the INDIA bloc MPs' march to Election Commission in Delhi, Abdullah said the campaign will go on. We kept raising this issue and very few people paid attention, he said. Now the media has started talking about it too.

He also ruled out the Uniform Civil Code in Jammu and Kashmir. Bring the legislation in Parliament, debate it there, and then let us see whether it passes, he said. He argued that such matters should not be handled separately by states and Union Territories.

On deportation of Bangladeshis, Abdullah said foreign nationals who entered India without authorisation cannot stay here illegally. But he drew a clear line between unauthorised Bangladeshis and Rohingya refugees, saying the latter are being targeted for no reason. Police are not under our control, he said, so this question is better put to those who command them.