Srinagar: Amid the ongoing controversy over the Ratle hydropower project in Kishtwar, Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Monday (December 15) accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators of “meddling” in the upcoming power projects in Kishtwar district.Without taking names, Abdullah told reporters that the saffron party’s two local legislators of Kishtwar were “meddling in every power project” which have been fast-tracked by the Union government as part of its broader push to infrastructure development in Jammu and Kashmir.Besides the Ratle project, the government is building Pakal Dul (1000 MW), Kiru (624 MW) and Kwar (540 MW) hydropower projects in Kishtwar district which, once completed, would turn the hilly district of Jammu and Kashmir into a power hub.The chief minister demanded “serious probe” into the crisis that broke out earlier this month when Syed Burhan Andrabi, the human resource (HR) head of the Ratle project which is being executed by Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL), was attacked near the project site, prompting the Kishtwar police to file an FIR.Referring to the allegations of political interference against the BJP’s Kishtwar MLA Shagun Parihar by the MEIL, Abdullah said: “Two honourable MLAs of the opposition have been meddling in every [power] project in Kishtwar. Had it been my minister [facing the charges of interference], the ACB [Anti-Corruption Bureau] would have raided my home by now. These projects are not for J&K alone. These are projects of national importance and unnecessary meddling should not be tolerated.”Besides the new entrant Parihar, the Leader of the opposition and senior J&K BJP leader Sunil Sharma was elected in the 2024 J&K assembly election from Padder-Nagsini constituency of Kishtwar which has three assembly segments.Parihar has dismissed the Ratle project chief’s allegations as “irrelevant,” claiming that they were aimed to malign a female legislator and hide the company’s alleged incompetence that has delayed the project, which was scheduled to be commissioned next year, by two years. Sharma could not be reached for his reaction on Abdullah’s comment.Inderwal, the third constituency of Kishtwar, was won by Pyare Lal, an independent candidate, who later joined the ruling National Conference (NC).In the meantime, MEIL on Monday approached the district administration to file an FIR against a Kishtwar-based social media influencer, accusing him of launching a “malicious and defamatory” campaign to stall the national project.The company warned that a video commentary posted on social media by the influencer, identified as Asif Iqbal Naik, could trigger “serious law and order” problems at the 850-MW Ratle project.In a letter, the MEIL urged the deputy commissioner Kishtwar to file an FIR against Naik, a resident of Kishtwar, who posted the allegedly defamatory video against the MEIL officials on his YouTube channel and Facebook last week.Naik had sought to link the Ratle power project head Harpal Singh and the HR head Andrabi with militancy, allegedly to give a communal colour to the controversy at the behest of local politicians.Singh had earlier alleged that the BJP leader Parihar was forcing the MEIL management to employ workers and contractors at the project in Drabshala areas of Kishtwar on political and religious grounds.Seeking removal of the “defamatory” video from social media accounts of Naik, the MEIL urged the administration to book Naik under sections 351 (criminal intimidation) and 356 (criminal defamation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) along with Sections 66-E and 67 of the Information Technology Act.“The content is malicious, defamatory, and threatening in nature, clearly intended to intimidate MEIL officers, create fear and pressure at the project site, and disrupt the lawful execution of a strategic infrastructure project. The said video is being widely circulated, and inflammatory comments posted by viewers have further aggravated the situation, creating a clear and present threat to safety, public order, and workplace harmony,” the letter notes.The MEIL letter, also marked to J&K lieutenant governor and chief minister, has urged the authorities to “seize and preserve all electronic evidence, including original posts, IP logs, server data, comments, and associated metadata”.“Investigate, arrest (if warranted), and prosecute the accused strictly in accordance with the law. Take any other action deemed fit in the interest of justice, public safety, and protection of the lawful execution of a national project,” the letter mentions.When contacted, deputy commissioner Kishtwar Pankaj Kumar and senior superintendent of police Naresh Singh said that they were investigating the complaint and action would be taken as per law.This article was updated with Shagun Parihar’s reaction and republished at 9.50 pm on the same day.