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J-K: BJP leader Ashish Sareen poses with AK-47, party says ‘not an active member’

Sources said that the photograph showing him brandishing an AK rifle was recent one when he visited Kashmir Valley at Lal Chowk to unfurl tricolour and was provided to a PSO for protection.

A week after unfurling national tricolour at Srinagar’s Lal Chowk, a youth Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ashish Sareen in a bizarre incident on Wednesday posted his photograph brandishing an AK 47 with a caption “Don is Don.”

After his photograph went viral, the BJP distanced itself from him saying that he was not an “active member of the party.” BJP state president Sat Sharma denied any knowledge about Ashish Sareen. “Hundreds of people visit our party headquarters every day and even attend meetings convened by us to redress their grievances, but I can definitely say that no person with such a name has been an active member of the BJP ever since I took over as president of party’s state unit,” he added. Ashish later withdrew his photograph from the social networking site.

J&K BJP vice-president apologises for posting picture online brandishing AK-47 Rifle

Ashish had been the state vice president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha until two and half years ago when BJP’s Nowshera MLA Ravinder Raina was heading the BJP’s youth wing in the state. “He does not hold any position in the present BJYM team of office bearers,” said BJYM’s present state president Suresh Magotra.

On December 6, Ashish along with a Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Rakesh Sharma had unfurled national tricolour at Srinagar’s Lal Chowk. This had come in response to challenge from National Conference president and former Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah asking BJP government at the Centre to first hoist tricolour at Srinagar’s Lal Chowk before talking about hosting the one in Pakistan occupied Kashmir.

Having photographs showing him rubbing shoulders with many senior BJP leaders including union ministers, Ashish had also organized a ‘mashal’ (torchlight) rally in Srinagar last year. Sources said that the photograph showing him brandishing an AK rifle was recent one when he visited Kashmir Valley to unfurl tricolour and was provided to a PSO for protection.

Ashish, however, said that it was over a month old when he had gone to Valley to attend a BJP function. He got himself photographed with an AK rifle of a PSO as many people from the party were already posing with the weapon, he said. “However, I did not know at that time that this photograph will create such a hallo bolo on social networking site,” he said. “my younger brother posted it on Facebookwithout my knowledge. As soon as I came to know about it, I withdrew the photograph,” Ashish said, adding that “I am a nationalist and I had no evil intention behind posing with an AK rifle. However, if it has hurt anybody’s sentiments, I apologize for it and assure that I will not repeat such a mistake in future.”

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