Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was heckled and called “criminal” at the University of California, Berkeley, where he was invited for a conversation on Thursday to share his perspective on possible solutions to the Kashmir issue.
Omar, who is in the US to attend the event organised by the Institute of South Asia Studies of the University of California Berkeley, faced a tough time as he was confronted with a protest by Kashmiri-Americans.
“I want to take you to the International Criminal Court,” one of the woman protesters shouted at Omar. Another protester, who identified himself as a resident of downtown Srinagar, shouted: “They are all criminals; he, his dad, his grandfather”.
Omar attempted to talk through the situation but was shouted over by the protesters. It was not immediately clear whether the protest took place at the beginning of the event or at its conclusion.
The protest, filmed on mobile phone cameras, was held at the venue of the programme which was titled: The path forward in Kashmir. The near one-minute video clip of the protest immediately went viral on social media.
The protest against Omar, who served as Jammu and Kashmir’s former Chief Minister and is now a senior leader of the National Conference, comes at a time of heightened anger against the rape and murder of a minor girl in Kathua.
The rape-murder case has sparked anger and sharp reactions against the mainstream political parties as well as security forces, which are battling recurring street protests in recent days.
Omar had tweeted on Tuesday that he was “greatly looking forward to all my interactions” at the University of California, Berkeley. The university had described Omar as the “former Chief Minister and one of the most prominent politicians of Jammu and Kashmir”.
“Omar Abdullah will talk about his vision for the path forward in the region and share his perspective on a possible solution,” it had said.
Protesters’ wrath
The incident happened at the University of California, where Omar was invited for a conversation on solutions to the Kashmir issue. “I want to take you to the International Criminal Court,” a woman protester shouted at Omar. Another protester shouted: “They are all criminals; he, his dad, his grandfather”.
CM slams ‘Azadi’ seekers abroad
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has snubbed all those who are circulating video clips of NC working president Omar Abdullah being heckled, saying, “It could happen to Mehbooba Mufti too.” “Those seeking azadi sitting in foreign countries are inciting people. This is very unfortunate,” Mehbooba told Kashmir Post on Friday. “They will not allow Omar or me to speak,” she said sarcastically about these “azadi seekers” implying that while seeking freedom for themselves they were gagging the very idea of freedom of expression. “Kashmiris in foreign countries are doing all this, seeking azadi through such unbecoming behaviour. He is a leader here and he should have been heard,” Mehbooba Mufti said, while referring to the language and tone of students at the event.
