New Delhi, June 16 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Friday criticised the Jammu and Kashmir government for charging party leaders Vinay Katiyar and Sahib Singh Verma with sedition for declaring a bounty for killing terrorists.
BJP chief Rajanth Singh demanded immediate withdrawal of the charges, saying it was an attempt to suppress voices of protest in a democracy.
"To institute cases of sedition for speaking against soft handling of terrorism by the Jammu and Kashmir government is not only unconstitutional and undemocratic but manifests a dictatorial mindset," Singh said in a statement.
BJP general secretary Katiyar and vice-president Verma were booked by the Jammu and Kashmir police after they had announced at a June 8 rally that cash rewards would be paid to any civilian who killed a militant in the state or who lost life while fighting terrorists.
"Asking the people to take strong action against terrorists does not mean promoting enmity between different communities because terrorists are rabid killers who do not belong to any community or religion," the BJP chief said.
"Both leaders have repeatedly explained that they were in fact emphasising the need to strengthen Village Defence Committees, arm the villagers and install more military pickets to prevent any further massacres of innocent civilians in the state, he added.