By Asif Iqbal Naik
Srinagar, October 24: In a decisive disciplinary action, the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) central leadership has suspended the District Youth Congress Committee President & it’s working President of Kishtwar in Jammu and Kashmir over alleged organizational indiscipline and failure to perform assigned responsibilities.
The order, issued on 23 October 2025 (Ref. No: 138/IYC/2025) by IYC National Secretary Maan Singh Rathore, stated that “the following office bearers have not taken organizational responsibilities seriously, thereby affecting the functioning and discipline of the Youth Congress.”
As per the directive, the appointments in the Kishtwar Committee have been put on hold with immediate effect until further orders. The committee’s functioning will now be directly supervised by the Incharge and Co-Incharge of the Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh Youth Congress Committee.
Office Bearers Relieved
The following officials have been explicitly named and relieved of their duties for dereliction of organizational responsibilities:
1. Nayar Amin Butt – District President, District Youth Congress Committee Kishtwar
2. Azhar Beigh – Working District President, District Youth Congress Committee Kishtwar
The suspension notice further directed that “all concerned must treat this order with utmost seriousness in the interest of the organization” and strictly advised the relieved officials not to issue any public statements or press releases in any official capacity.
The notice was signed jointly by Harneet Kaur Brar, Co-Incharge JKPYC, and Maan Singh Rathore, Incharge Youth Congress for Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.
Boycott Incident Triggered Action
Highly placed party sources revealed that the suspension was triggered by a recent episode of open factionalism within the Kishtwar Youth Congress unit. On October 21, some of the Youth Congress leaders from Kishtwar boycotted a meeting convened by senior Congress leader and former minister Ghulam Mohammad Saroori.
The meeting, held as part of the Congress’ “Vote Choori” (vote theft) campaign, was attended by several senior district and block-level party leaders. However, the absence of the some of the Youth Congress wing leaders was viewed as a public defiance of party unity and discipline, prompting an internal report to the IYC headquarters.
In a social media post that later surfaced, Azhar Beigh, one of the suspended office bearers, defended the boycott, stating:
“The entire Kishtwar District Youth Congress unit follows the leadership and direction of our DCC President, Advocate Asif Naqeeb. Since the DCC President himself was not present at the meeting, we aligned with his position and did not attend.”
This statement, seen as a direct challenge to party decision, reportedly accelerated the disciplinary process within the Youth Congress.
The removal of District Youth Congress president came in backdrop of the press release issued by him regarding holding of “Blood Donation Camp” at Kishtwar by the youth Congress which in practically didn’t took place on ground and the act was only to gain publicity by circulating fake news.
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Central Oversight Imposed
Following the suspension, the IYC headquarters has directed that all future activities of the Kishtwar Youth Congress will be conducted under the direct monitoring of the central leadership. The Incharge and Co-Incharge have been tasked with restructuring and reorganizing the district body in the coming weeks.
Party insiders indicate that the step aims to restore discipline and organizational order amid growing factional tensions that have impacted Congress’s local credibility.
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Wider Political Implications
The suspension comes at a time when the Congress party in Jammu and Kashmir is navigating internal strains and facing challenges in alliance management. Recently, the party declined an “unsafe” Rajya Sabha seat offered by the National Conference (NC), signaling friction within the INDIA bloc in J&K.
Further, Congress’s decision not to contest the recent Assembly bypolls in Nagrota and Budgam has raised questions over the party’s internal strategy and coordination with alliance partners.
The developments in Kishtwar now add another layer of tension, highlighting the organizational instability that Congress continues to grapple with at both state and district levels.
