Within days of the party relieving its Pulwama district president, Showkat Gayoor, after a case was registered against him, the BJP faced another embarrassment on Wednesday when Jammu and Kashmir Police registered a case of extortion and fraud against its leader Aijaz Ahmed Shah.
Shah is the vice-president of the BJP's Kisan Morcha in Pulwama district, where party leader Showkat Gayoor was already booked for allegedly demanding extortion money from a contractor through intimidation.
According to reports, an FIR has been registered against Aijaz Ahmed Shah at Tral Police Station under Sections 420 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Since the alleged offence took place in 2022, the case has been registered under the IPC, which was replaced by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in July 2024.
Reports stated that a local resident filed a written complaint against Shah, alleging that he took money from the complainant on the pretext of helping him in a police case.
Officials said Shah, who was appointed vice-president of the Pulwama Kisan Morcha in November last year, has had eight similar cases registered against him at at least four police stations in the district since 2016. This is reportedly the third case registered against Shah this year.
When contacted about the police case registered against Aijaz Ahmed Shah, BJP spokesperson Altaf Thakur expressed ignorance about the matter. He said he would be able to comment only after the investigation was completed. It is pertinent to mention that Altaf Ahmed Thakur also hails from Tral.
BJP Leader Showkat Gayoor Suspended After Extortion Case
As reported earlier, on August 14, an FIR was registered at the Newa Police Post in Pulwama on the basis of a complaint filed by Mohammad Yaseen Ganie. He alleged that BJP leader Showkat Gayoor threatened him with action under the Public Safety Act if his demands were not met.
In his complaint, Ganie accused Gayoor of extortion, criminal intimidation, wrongful restraint, obstruction and harassment, besides making illegal demands in connection with work being undertaken for the Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee in Barthana.
Ganie alleged that the BJP leader demanded Rs 5 lakh from him as extortion money. He also alleged that he paid Rs 54,000 to Gayoor in two instalments in November last year.
Following registration of the case, J&K BJP general secretary Mohammad Anwar Khan placed Gayoor under suspension from all organisational posts after consulting senior party leaders.
Earlier Cases Involving BJP Leaders
In 2022, Jammu and Kashmir Police arrested Abdul Rehman Tikri, the then BJP district president of Bandipora, along with another party leader, Mushtaq Ahmad, a sarpanch, after a woman filed a complaint against them.
The woman alleged that the duo had extorted Rs 1 lakh from her on the promise of securing the release of her brother from police custody.
In July 2022, a BJP leader who headed the IT cell of the J&K BJP's Minority Wing was arrested for allegedly operating a module of the proscribed terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
Altaf Hussain Shah, alias Talib Hussain, had earlier worked with a news channel and headed the IT cell of the BJP's Minority Wing. He was arrested in July 2022 in Tuksan village of Reasi district along with another alleged terrorist.
The other accused was identified as Faizal Ahmed Dar, son of Bashir Ahmed Dar, a resident of Pulwama and a categorised terrorist.
According to reports, Talib Hussain was allegedly involved in the Udhampur blast and twin blasts in Rajouri district. He was also accused of masterminding a series of blasts in the Jammu region.
In May 2020, a BJP sarpanch was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for allegedly providing support to terrorists active in the Kashmir Valley.
