Advertisement

Arrest warrant against ex-J&K minister

A court here on Saturday issued an arrest warrant against former Jammu and Kashmir minister of State for Health Shabir Ahmad Khan in connection with a sexual assault case.

Srinagar: A court here on Saturday issued an arrest warrant against former Jammu and Kashmir minister of State for Health Shabir Ahmad Khan in connection with a sexual assault case. Chief Judicial Magistrate, Srinagar, Rajiv Gupta issued the arrest warrant against Khan, an MLA from Rajouri, following an application moved by police.
Yesterday, police had registered a case against Khan after a lady doctor, wife of a separatist leader, alleged the minister had called her to his office in the Civil Secretariat last month and attempted to molest her. Official sources said a police team had been constituted to arrest the former minister. They said the team would soon leave for Jammu to arrest Khan who resigned yesterday. The sources said the police had summoned Khan to present himself for investigations today and moved the court for an arrest warrant after he failed to appear. Khan had yesterday moved an application for anticipatory bail in the Jammu wing of the state High Court but it was rejected. In Jammu, a senior police officer told that the Srinagar Police had issued summons to Khan for appearance before it today. The summons were sent to the SSP Jammu for execution, he said. Summons were to be delivered at his official residence in Gandhi Nagar in the city but the ex-minister was not found there, the officer said. Khan was a Congress representative in the Omar Abdullah government. Work at SMHS Hospital in Srinagar was affected for a few hours today as doctors went on a strike and took out a rally demanding stern action against the former minister. "We warn the government that if Khan is not arrested today, we will go on a strike and even shut down emergency services," president of the Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) Nissar-ul-Hassan told reporters in Srinagar. In a press release, the Awami Ittihaad Party said Khan should be put behind bars. Party chief Rashid said the matter should be handed over to some credible agency for investigation.