Omar Abdullah refuses to resign as J&K CM

Facing heat over the custodial death of a political worker, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Thursday rejected the Opposition PDP demand that he should resign as he may influence the judicial probe.

"How is it possible? The judge who will be inquiring the case will not be answerable to my government. Where does the question of influence arise?, Omar told reporters here when asked about the PDP demand.

"Moreover, it is in the best interest of me and my government that truth and only truth should come out," the Chief Minister said, adding "I will be deposing before the Commission and answer each and every query."

He said people who were making demands that he resign were undermining the judiciary of the country. "People have lot of faith in the courts. So let us not make a mockery of the faith of millions of people."

Asked whether he would go in for a retired judge heading the Commission in case getting a sitting judge would take time because of formalities involved in it, Omar said the state government has written to J and K High Court Chief Justice requesting him to appoint a Commission of Inquiry.

The row over the death of 61-year-old National Conference worker Syed Mohammad Yousuf allegedly in police custody last Friday shortly after being handed over to the Crime Branch in connection with bribery allegations has escalated triggering demands by PDP for Omar's resignation.

Yousuf was handed over to the police after his meeting with Omar at the Chief Minister's residence.

Omar said that by summoning Yousuf he had only performed his duty to ensure that the vicious cycle of corruption was put to an end.

Regretting the death of Yousuf, Omar said he would not like to pre-empt anything on this issue as he was "absolutely sure" that truth will see the light of the day once the judicial process will complete its work on unraveling all the facts of the case.

Seeking to put a stop to "trial-by-media", the Chief Minister said "it is unfortunate that certain section of media nowadays pronounce people guilty without even waiting for a judicial process to begin, forget about waiting for its end."

Omar said he had called the deceased to his home on the fateful Friday after he came to know that money was changing hands in the party for promising a berth in ministry or a place in Legislative Council.

"Should I turn a blind eye to these allegations? I called him and he agreed that he had taken money from the two others. All I wanted him to return the money. I guess that was not a crime. And I had told him and two others that the case will be probed by the Crime Branch in any case," he said.

"Here I am handing over bribe giver as well as bribe taker to police. What is wrong in this?" asked Omar.

The Chief Minister said that no one had "touched" Yousuf at his residence and "I believe that no one touched him during the custody as well as the preliminary post mortem report was clear that there were no injury marks on him and he had died because of massive heart attack."

Omar dubbed PDP’s demand for his resignation to "empty vessels making lot of noise" and accused it of being an "obtrusive opposition rather than a healthy one."

"The allegations made by the party will be aptly replied by my lawyer as I have faith in the judicial system. In the past, some of the opposition leaders had to tender an apology after I sued them for defamation and I know for sure that this time also, history will repeat itself," the Chief Minister said.

To a question about the claims by the family of the deceased that he had no history of heart ailment, Omar said "there have been numerous cases where people with no history have suffered massive heart attacks. I have had such unfortunate examples in my friends circle."