Known for stoking controversies with his "irresponsible" statements, Ankit Love, son of the founder of the Panthers Party Prof Bhim Singh, alleged that his parents died due to an inordinate delay in holding assembly elections in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Ankit Love, who claimed himself as the chief patron of the Panthers Party, said both his parents Prof. Bhim Singh and Jay Mala would have been alive today if Jammu and Kashmir legislative elections had been held sooner.
"Strangely, the two most internationally prominent opposition political party leaders in J&K died while in active leadership, campaigning against the central government delaying of democratic elections which are now several years overdue", he said.
"This will go as one of the darkest chapters in the history of India. How could a husband and wife couple both founders of one of India's oldest recognized political parties in opposition to the government suddenly die, with the government delaying elections purposefully?" he further said.
Ankit charges cousins with murdering his mother
Ankit Love has alleged that the incumbent party president Vilakshan Singh has murdered his mother Jai Mala. He alleged that his mother, Jay Mala, 64 was assassinated, by his cousins Mrignayani Slathia and her brother Vilakshan Singh on the behest of the BJP. Love alleged that Vilakshan, who was appointed as president of the Panthers Party after the death of Prof Bhim Singh, was in touch with BJP to ally.
"Jay Mala who was a great proponent of secular values, had been in fierce opposition to BJP, and would not permit accepting such a coalition. On 23 March 2023, she had given a speech to a massive rally of 60,000 people in Udhampur, joined by her choice of coalition partner, former chief minister Farooq Abdullah, president of Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC)", Love alleged.
Mother's body remained in the mortuary of GMC for 10 days
The body of Jai Mala remained at the mortuary of Government Medical College Hospital in Jammu after some members of the family lebelled serious allegations on Mrignayani Slathia with whom Jai Mala was living.
Slathia has accused another nephew of Jay Mala, former J&K minister Harsh Dev Singh, of creating the impasse by posting on social media that there should be a postmortem of the body.
The incumbent president of the Panthers Party Vilakshan Singh had brought the body of Jai Mala to his residence at Sidhra, Jammu, and informed all relatives, including Love, about the death. Soon after, Harsh Dev put up a social media post demanding a postmortem.
While Slathia has accused Harsh Dev of stopping the cremation for his personal and political gain. According to Slathia, Jay Mala had been staying with her at Domana in Jammu before her death and had taken a fall from the stairs at home on April 25 evening. She died at Government Medical College Hospital the next day, Slathia said.
After Harsh Dev's post, she said, she and her brother took Jay Mala's body back to the hospital the same night and placed it in the mortuary to avoid any trouble from the former minister and his supporters.
Black-listed by Indian High Commission for anti-India acts
In May this year, London-based Ankit Love apologized to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 2 for taking part in an anti-government rally in 2022, which led to his being blacklisted by the High Commission.
Ankit Love, who apologized for hurling eggs and stones at the High Commission during the February 2022 protest, had asked the prime minister to step in so that he could return and perform the last rites of his mother, Jay Mala.
Love was unable to attend the funeral of his mother. Love claims that he was put on India's "blacklist" after being detained by British authorities on February 14, 2022, as a result of a demonstration outside the Indian High Commission in London.
In an open letter to the Prime Minister on May 2, Love expressed his remorse and apology for the mistake he made by hurling eggs and stones at the High Commission.
"I, Ankit Love, son of late Prof Bhim Singh and late Adv Jay Mala, resident of the UK, hereby sincerely apologize for my mistake of pelting eggs and stones at the Indian High Commission in the UK, which I deeply and sincerely regret," he wrote.
He sought forgiveness and said that he urgently needed to visit the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in India. He also said that some other people surrounding him had misled him, which had led to the mistake, for which he sincerely apologized.
"…I assure you that henceforth there will be no such act by me against my nation, which I love very much and am very much proud of," Love wrote adding that his late father Bhim Singh had battled his entire life for the full annexation of Jammu and Kashmir with India.
