21 June 2006

Press Statement

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) strongly condemned the assassination of one of its leading comrade and an activist of the Democratic Youth Federation of India, Comrade Arshad Ahmad Lone, in Kashmir.  25-year old Lone was a leading activist of the CPI(M) who consistently displayed a high degree of courage, fought the militants, espoused for the cause of India’s unity and integrity.  15 days ago, Lone was kidnapped and brutally tortured and then released. In the late evening of June 20, militants attacked his home in village Hawora in tehsil Kulgam and killed him.

This assassination, once again, reveals the determination on the part of the militants not to allow  the restoration of peace and normalcy in Kashmir.   The Left Parties in the last UPA-Left Coordination Committee meeting had drawn the attention of the government to beef up security and protection of the common people in the valley.  This  incident, once again, shows that adequate  protection is not  being provided to ensure the safety and security of the common people, particularly political activists.

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) calls upon the Central government and the Jammu & Kashmir state government to strengthen the efforts to nab the culprits and to strengthen the security cover. 

The Polit Bureau conveys its heartfelt  condolences to the family of Arshad Ahmad Lone and to the comrades in the Jammu & Kashmir unit of the CPI(M).