New Delhi: The Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has removed its state vice president Nazir Ahmed from the post and revoked his primary membership of the party after his son allegedly eloped with a Buddhist girl.
Ashok Koul, the party’s general secretary (organisation) of the Union Territory of Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh, said the action was taken since the issue was one of ‘love jihad’ and had the potential to cause tension.
ThePrint reached Nazir Ahmed via messages but had not received a response by the time of publication. This report will be updated if and when a response is received.
In a circular issued by the BJP’s Ladakh unit on 16 August, a copy of which is with ThePrint, it pointed out that action was initiated against Ahmed days after he was given an “opportunity to clarify about his involvement in the sensitive issue of elopement of a Buddhist girl by his son”.
“A meeting, chaired by the state president and attended by the executive members, was convened. Given ample time Sh. Nazir Ahmed, state vice president of BJP Ladakh, was provided an opportunity to clarify his involvement in a sensitive issue of the elopement of a Buddhist girl by his son, Manzoor Ahmed,” read the circular.
The circular issued by the BJP’s Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh unit further said that the alleged elopement is “unacceptable to all religious communities in Ladakh as it jeopardises communal harmony and unity among the people of this region”.
“As a result, a decision has been reached to promptly relieve Sh. Nazir Ahmed of his responsibilities as state vice president,” it stated.
Speaking to ThePrint Thursday, Koul said the decision was taken by the BJP’s Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh unit while “keeping the local situation in mind”.
“He (Ahmed) was given ample time to respond but he didn’t. He was told to get his son back but he couldn’t. To ensure that the incident does not create any tension between the communities as it is an issue of love jihad, he was again told to get his son and to return the girl to her family but he didn’t do it. Taking all this into consideration, he was relieved of his position,” Koul added.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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