Muhammad Ashraf Mattoo accuses Chief Minister of breaking Assembly promise on justice for his son; says people will bring the Srinagar MP back to lead them
Suhail Khan
Srinagar, Nov 03: Muhammad Ashraf Mattoo, whose 17-year-old son Tufail was allegedly killed during the 2010 Kashmir unrest, on Tuesday targeted Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, accusing him of failing to deliver justice despite promising action in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.
Speaking at a rally in Budgam, where Srinagar MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi announced his decision to quit the National Conference and resign from the Lok Sabha, Mattoo told Kashmir Convener he no longer considered the National Conference leadership worthy of being called human beings.
“In my dictionary, they are not human beings,” he said when asked about his repeated criticism of the party leadership.
Accusing Abdullah of going back on his assurance, Mattoo said, “He is the person who lied on the floor of the Assembly that justice would be delivered in my case.”
His remarks brought renewed attention to the killing of Tufail Mattoo, whose alleged death on June 11, 2010, became one of the defining incidents of the summer unrest in Kashmir that year.
Tufail was returning home from a tuition class when he was allegedly hit on the head by a tear-gas shell near Ghani Memorial Stadium in Srinagar’s old city. He died on the spot. The incident triggered widespread protests, with the teenager’s death becoming a rallying point for demonstrations against the use of force by security personnel.
The investigation into his death went through several turns. The family approached the courts after the police initially refused to register their complaint. A Special Investigation Team subsequently filed a closure report, claiming that the alleged perpetrators could not be traced.
In February 2014, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court ordered a fresh investigation by the Crime Branch, setting aside the earlier closure proceedings. The court observed that an attempt appeared to have been made to save certain police officials and directed that the fresh investigation be conducted by an officer of the rank of Superintendent of Police.
However, in May 2015, the Crime Branch again filed a closure report, describing the case as untraced and stating that it could not establish conclusively how Tufail had died or who was responsible. His family continued its fight for accountability, with the case remaining unresolved, according to subsequent reports.
Against this background, Mattoo’s appearance at Ruhullah’s rally carried significance beyond the immediate political developments. Ruhullah had entrusted him with the task of personally delivering his resignation letter to NC president Farooq Abdullah, bringing together the MP’s political break with the party and the family’s longstanding demand for justice.
Backing Ruhullah’s decision, Mattoo described him as an honest and principled politician and said the people would decide his political future.
“It is not the people who made him resign, and it will be the people who will select him again in the future. He will come back with flying colours whenever he feels like contesting. People will bring him back to lead us,” he said.
Asked whether Ruhullah’s departure could lead to the formation of a new political party, Mattoo said the decision rested with the MP.
“It is up to him. I am a common person. I have come to express my opinion, and that is all,” he said.
He also questioned what he described as a contradiction between the principle of the rule of law and the political positions occupied by those accused of violating it.
“I am perplexed that those who go against it are being crowned and hold the highest positions in the corridors of power,” he said, referring to Abdullah.
Ruhullah’s decision to involve Tufail’s father in the formal communication of his resignation added a symbolic dimension to Tuesday’s rally, where the MP also accused the NC leadership of abandoning its political commitments and failing to uphold the promises made to voters.
