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Sajjad Ahmad Kichloo
Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo (born 20 June 1964) is an Indian politician and former member of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly who served as a State Home minister in the first Omar Abdullah ministry in 2009. A member of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, he was elected as a member of legislative assembly during the 2002 and the 2008 legislative assembly elections from Kishtwar constituency.[1] He also served as a member of the Legislative Council in 2015, representing Kishtwar district.[2] CareerKachloo was born to Bashir Ahmad Kichloo on 20 June 1974 in Kishtwar, India. His father was also a member of the National Conference (NC). Kichloo entered politics following his father's death. He began his career in 1996 as the tehsil president of the NC's youth wing. In 1998, he became the district president of the NC in Kishtwar. He contested the 2002 Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly election from the Kishtwar constituency. He was re-elected in the 2008 Assembly elections.[1] In 2013, Kichloo was appointed as the minister of State for Home in the government of Jammu and Kashmir.[1] ControversiesAllegations of assaultKichloo's political career was marred by controversy when he was accused of assaulting Riaz Ahmed Choudhary, the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Kishtwar Development Authority, during preparations for an official visit by the then chief minister Omar Abdullah to Kishtwar district in April 2013. Choudhary alleged Kichloo's misconduct and ordered his arrest, a claim that led to media attention and public scrutiny.[1] On 18 April 2022, a Jammu and Kashmir court directed police to register a case against Kichloo.[3] Role in 2013 clashesKachloo resigned as the State Home minister in August 2013, following allegations of his involvement in the 2013 Kishtwar clashes on 9 August 2013.[4] The violence resulted in the deaths of three people and the destruction of over 150 shops and houses, attributed to the administration's failure, including Kachloo to control the situation.[5] He was later exonerated of any involvement in the clashes that occurred on 9 August 2013. The Justice R.C. Gandhi Commission of Enquiry,[6] a one-man commission led by Justice (retired) R.C. Gandhi,[7] determined that Kichloo was not guilty of any partisan conduct during the incident.[6] Involvement in land scamIn November 2020, Kichloo was implicated in the Roshni Land scam following the Jammu and Kashmir High Court's nullification of the Roshni Act of 2001.[8] In October 2021, the Jammu and Kashmir administration released a list of beneficiaries linked to illegal land allocations made under the Roshni Act. Originally intended to regularize encroachments on state land, the act faced scrutiny for allegedly facilitating the illegal transfer of land to influential individuals, including politicians, bureaucrats, and businessmen.[8] Kichloo's name surfaced in connection with this scandal alongside other prominent figures, indicating a widespread network of beneficiaries involved in the controversial land deals. The initial disclosures by the Jammu and Kashmir administration included Kichloo's name.[8][9] References
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