Jammu, Mar 21: BJP leader Jahanzaib Sirwal on Saturday alleged that he was manhandled by a National Conference leader during Eid prayers in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district.
He said the incident took place inside Kishtwar Jamia Masjid while he was participating in the religious gathering, prompting him to approach the police for action.
“I was surprised to see the sudden attack on me. This is an old tactic of the National Conference to hijack religious places for their political gains.
“Making religious affairs a battleground for political rivalry is perhaps the lowest form of politics. This incident is not the first of its kind; it is in the genes of the NC to resort to such dirty tactics,” Sirwal alleged.
He said the religious places are sacred and should never be used for political purposes.
“Such attacks by National Conference goons cannot deter or stop us from speaking against the NC’s anti-people politics. I remain fully committed to raising my voice against the NC’s failed governance and their flawed policies at all levels,” he said.
People in the know said a National Conference leader objected the presence of Sirwal and allegedly manhandled him while he was participating in a religious ceremony on the stage of the mosque along with religious and other political leaders.
The situation was controlled from getting worse following intervention by the community elders and religious leaders, an eye witness said.
