BJP drops Pulwama unit chief after police book him for extortion

A BJP leader, Syed Showkat Gayoor, has been arrested for extortion in Jammu and Kashmir following a complaint filed by a contractor. Gayoor, who previously served as the district president for south Kashmir’s Pulwana, is accused of demanding money from the contractor and threatening to detain them under the Public Safety Act (PSA) if they refused to pay.

The complainant, Mohammad Yasin Ganie, alleged that Gayoor interfered with his work, stopping him and his drivers, and demanded an illegal gratification of Rs 5,00,000 to allow the work to continue. The complainant was forced to pay Rs 54,000 in two installments of Rs 50,000 and Rs 4,000 in November the previous year. As a result of the FIR lodged against him, the BJP suspended Gayoor from all organizational posts and responsibilities until the "finalization of disciplinary proceedings" against him.