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Friday, April 22, 2016


PDP-BJP coalition plays ostrich on ‘bad’ situation in South Kashmir

ECI rescinds Anantnag poll announcement on J&K Govt’s request within 48 hours

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

_______

JAMMU, April  21: In its first official admission of the situation turning worse in the ruling PDP’s bastion of South Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti-led coalition in Jammu and Kashmir has forced the Election Commission of India to cancel the announcement of holding the by-election in the vacant Anantnag Assembly segment on May 16. On Tuesday, ECI had announced to conduct the by-election next month as the seat in Anantnag has been lying vacant since the death of the former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on January 7.

ECI Secretary Sumit Mukherjee disclosed in an official release on Thursday that the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary the law and order situation was not conducive at the moment for holding the by-election “due to certain recent incidents”. “He has, therefore, requested the Commission to postpone the bye-election from 40-Anantnag Assembly constituency for the present”. Accordingly, the ECI decided to postpone the by-election and rescinded the April 19th announcement.

Announcement for the by-election would be made subsequently, Mr Mukherjee said.

Withdrawal of the election announcement within two days evoked sharp reactions from the principal opposition parties, National Conference and Congress, which termed it as the Mehbooba government’s “admission of defeat” and pointed out that the situation, if really bad, had turned so during the PDP-BJP regime.

While returning to New Delhi, after a weeklong stay with his mother in London, NC’s acting President and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah tweeted that Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti was scared of facing the people.

“In an admission of how bad the situation is under @mehbooba_mufti the Election commission has been forced to postpone Anantnag by-election”, Omar wrote on Twitter.”The election was scheduled for 16th May but state govt had written to EC that the situation "isn't conducive" & it's been postponed”. He repeated: “It's an admission both of how bad things have become under @mehbooba_mufti & how petrified she is of facing the people in the by-election”.

Subsequently, in a detailed statement issued from the NC headquarters, Omar said: “In seeking the postponement of the election for the Anantnag Assembly Constituency, Mehbooba Mufti has shown that she has panicked and is hiding behind the Election Commission. This desperate and evasive move shows how badly the Chief Minister is governing the State and is a formal admission of defeat by the PDP-BJP alliance. Fearing rejection by the people, the Chief Minister has evaded the very first formal referendum on the PDP-BJP Alliance and that’s a very significant development”.

Omar said that Mehbooba was trying to escape “the consequences of PDP’s sell-outs and political surrenders” under the fig-leaf of an allegedly ‘non-conducive’ situation. “When the Chief Minister of a State is petrified of failing to seek an electoral validation to continue in her chair, the very credibility, mandate and writ of the Government become questionable. Knowing well that her party is facing a complete rout at the grassroots level, Mehbooba Mufti has chosen to run away from her very first test and that’s tragic”.

Omar added: “The people of J&K have rejected this alliance of convenience and have also seen how much of a failure it amounted to in its previous year in power. Mehbooba Mufti’s spectacular U-turn on seeking Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) from the Government of India has catalyzed PDP’s political obliteration. If she is so scared of facing the people, with what credibility and confidence will she rule the State?”

In its immediate reaction, Congress urged ECI to review its decision of the deferment of the polling and demanded that the same be held as per the schedule announced on April 19th.  A statement issued by the Congress spokesman Ravinder Raina called the postponement as “acceptance of first defeat by the State Coalition especially the PDP”

“Congress has said since the PDP is aware of the ground political situation and they see their defeat as a writing on the wall, as such (they have) cited the reason of law and order situation to seek the deferment of the polls”.

Neither the two ruling parties--- PDP and BJP--- nor the State Government did issue any reaction to the postponement of the by-election within two days of the announcement by ECI.

However a senior bureaucrat told STATE TIMES that the election had been deferred “only to ensure that the tourist season is not disturbed”.  He said that the State government would like the by-election in Anantnag to be held any time after the conclusion of Shri Amarnath Yatra after August 15th. He pointed that there was no legal or constitutional binding on the government or ECI to hold the by-election on the vacant seat in a particular time frame.

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, who is currently retaining his position as Lok Sabha member from South Kashmir, is however bound by Constitution to become a member of either House of the State Legislature within 6 months of her taking oath as Head of the Government i.e. till October 3 this year.

END
In Kashmir’s polarised polity, it’s all down to who you believe in the battle of narratives

[An abridged copy of this article has been published on Editorial page of The Times Of India in its all editions today, April 21, 2016]


April 20, 2016

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
_______

When, in 1994, a sizeable crowd dragged a youthful tailor out of his home in the congested Nawab Bazar neighbourhood in downtown Srinagar and stoned him to death for the ‘rape’ of a three-and-a-half-year-old girl, an investigation by Kashmir Times established that the accused had not even touched the tiny tot. The investigation happened, and published, inspite of the fact that one group of the Kalashnikov-wielding guerrillas wanted the slain tailor to be proved as guilty and an equally dreaded group insisted he was innocent.

Around the times of total breakdown of the government machinery and the Police, the newspaper accessed the report of the gynaecologist who had examined the ‘victim’. Everybody in town believed it was positive. The fact was that it was negative. Dr Farhat Hameed’s report said the baby’s hymen was intact and that there was not a minute evidence of physical violation.

Just a clamour by the child’s aunt had attracted a multitude of people that did not listen to the accused or other hysterical cries from his family. It was probably the first Taliban-type execution in Kashmir. The body was thrown into The Jhelum.

That essentially does not suggest that every rumour or outcry in the Valley has been unfounded. It does, however, underscore the need of a credible investigation into the street allegation of a 16-year-old girl student’s molestation by a soldier in Handwara. Unfortunately, neither the media today nor any magisterial enquiry---Police itself has become a party after releasing the girl’s video---retains credibility. If it finds the soldier guilty, it will vindicate the pro-separatist civil society. Army will dismiss it as ‘a conspiracy to deprecate the security forces’. And there will be no end to the politics against and in favour of AFSPA. The accusation, though debunked by the girl in disputed conditions, has already claimed five civilian lives in Kupwara district.

Contrarily, if an enquiry gives a clean to the anonymous soldier, the civil society, including the mainstream politicians thriving on pseudo-separatist tirade, would call it ‘a fudged one to protect the forces and to denigrate the Kashmiris’. The world has witnessed how an outcry of ‘rape and murder’ of two young women in Shopian set the Valley on fire in 2009. Even the CBI, whose investigations in the infamous Pathribal fake encounter and Srinagar sex scam had been widely appreciated, failed to find takers to its conclusion. It established that neither rape nor murder had happened. Exhumation of the unmarried girl’s body, followed by a thorough examination by a team of doctors and forensic experts from AIIMS and FSL, found her hymen and septum intact. By then, Shopian had taken its toll.

While the media has---particularly after the total regional and communal divide in 2008---ceased to burn its fingers with such critical investigations, Police have not been able to investigate even 2% of the over 60,000 militancy-related FIRs filed in the last 25 years. Even CBI’s investigations, like in the firing on IAF personnel, have been lingering since 1990. Those awarded punishment and having served a jail term can be counted on finger tips. Forces’ men in particular have gone scot free. Around 150 magisterial enquiries and judicial probes have been ordered but hardly anybody penalised. That states the shrinkage of the Valley’s grey area and scope of an enquiry’s political exploitation.

Notwithstanding a crowd’s protest against some militants of JKLF in Basant Bagh, when a resident Pandit woman and her daughter were found ‘raped and killed’ in 1990, allegations of sexual abuse against the non-State actors have often gone unnoticed, unreported and unquestioned. When father of the 2009 IAS topper Shah Faesal counselled a non-Kashmiri guerrilla against shaking his hand forcibly with a neighbour’s daughter, it proved to be the last day of the poor teacher’s life.

Men of security forces too enjoyed a sort of impunity as few of them were punished over a delinquency. A military court ordered a Major’s service termination for “violation of SOP” in ‘Badrapayaeen rape case’. Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee felt embarrassed over a question on at the news conference in Srinagar but Chief Minister Mufti Sayeed came to his rescue, quickly. “Nothing has occurred with the daughter. We will see about her mother”, Mufti said without ordering an investigation.

From Kunan-Poshpora (1991) to Handwara (2016), Army has faced allegations of rape and molestation scores of times. Enjoying immunity under AFSPA, it has not been held accountable. Even the first---and till date the last---investigation by Press Council of India (in ‘Kunan-Poshpora gang rape case’) was not acceptable to civil society in the Valley as it exonerated the Army and was conducted by a journalist known for his linkage to then Army chief’s father. Even after 25 years, nobody knows the quantum of the offence and the real number of the women allegedly assaulted by the soldiers.

As Army provided institutional support to the accused even in the cases like Pathribal investigated by CBI, Valley’s intelligentsia and civil society which was already tilted towards the separatists and the militants, found it convenient to compromise neutrality and professionalism. Many of them justified it with Newton’s Third Law of Motion and complained how even the most credible of the national dailies and TV channels were running campaigns to ‘salute the soldier’, calling the militants as terrorists and riding on the hypernationalist parabola while reporting Kashmir. Even in the midst of a tragedy, anchors were heard demanding credit for the security forces rescuing the civilian population in the floods of September 2014.

‘The equal and opposite reaction’ in the Valley is no more indiscernible. When Police in Jammu lately swooped down on a colony of the Muslim Gujjars, setting houses on fire and killing a man in the firing, Jammu-based media ignored it completely. When over 20 non-Kashmiri students were injured in the lathi charge by Police at NIT Srinagar, neither the agencies nor the newspapers in Srinagar carried a line of reporting till it exploded in New Delhi. People have little hesitation to admit that many of the journalists, human rights activists, judges and lawyers, even Police officers, are obsessively inclined to one side and they often pick up the matters that have a potential to malign the Indian State, its systems, institutions and icons.

Now the battle lines are drawn. The rumour and the perception have taken precedence over the news and the reality and a credible investigation is extinct. In the battle of the narratives, which gets intensified by New Delhi’s license to competitive separatism and an unbridled social media, the Valley would support the ‘victim’ only when she will complain against the soldier. And the rest of India will be on her side only if she omits the soldier and proceeds against the two Kashmiri youths who created the scene.

The unscrupulous players have turned the teenager into a football tossing her conveniently from one post to another to strengthen their political narratives. Nobody seems to care for her safety, dignity and future. God save her from becoming India’s own Malala!



(Ahmed Ali Fayyaz is a senior journalist based in Jammu and Kashmir)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE TIMES OF INDIA

EDIT PAGE

In Kashmir’s polarised polity, it’s all down to who you believe in the battle of narratives



April 21, 2016, 2:00 am IST




When, in 1994, a sizeable crowd dragged a youthful tailor out of his home in the congested Nawab Bazar neighbourhood in downtown Srinagar and stoned him to death for the ‘rape’ of a three-and-a-half-year-old girl, an investigation by Kashmir Times established that the accused had not even touched the tiny tot. It was probably the first Taliban-type execution in Kashmir. The tailor’s body was thrown into the Jhelum.



This does not suggest that every rumour or outcry in the Valley is unfounded. It does, however, underscore the need of a credible investigation into the street allegation of a 16-year-old girl student’s molestation by a soldier in Handwara. Unfortunately, neither the media today nor any magistrate – police itself has become a party after releasing the girl’s video – retains credibility.



If an enquiry finds the soldier guilty, it will vindicate the pro-separatist civil society. Army will dismiss it as ‘a conspiracy to deprecate the security forces’. Contrarily, if an enquiry gives a clean chit to the anonymous soldier civil society, including mainstream politicians thriving on pseudo-separatist tirades, would call it ‘a fudged one to protect the forces and denigrate the Kashmiris’. The accusation, though debunked by the girl in disputed conditions, has already claimed five civilian lives in Kupwara district.



The world witnessed how an outcry of ‘rape and murder’ of two young women in Shopian set the Valley on fire in 2009. Even CBI – whose investigations in the infamous Pathribal fake encounter and Srinagar sex scam had been widely appreciated – failed to find takers for its conclusion in this case. It established that neither rape nor murder had happened. Exhumation of the unmarried girl’s body, followed by a thorough examination by a team of doctors and forensic experts from AIIMS and FSL, found her hymen and septum intact. But by then, Shopian had taken its toll.



Police have not been able to investigate even 2% of the over 60,000 militancy-related FIRs filed in the last 25 years. Allegations of sexual abuse and rape against non-state actors have often gone unnoticed, unreported and unquestioned. When the father of 2009 IAS topper Shah Faesal counselled a non-Kashmiri guerrilla against shaking his hand forcibly with a neighbour’s daughter, it proved to be the last day of the poor teacher’s life.



Security forces too enjoyed considerable impunity as few of them were punished over a delinquency or crime. From Kunan-Poshpora (1991) to Handwara (2016), the army has faced allegations of rape and molestation scores of times. Enjoying immunity under AFSPA, it has not been held accountable. Even the first – and till date the last – investigation by the Press Council of India (in the Kunan-Poshpora case) was not acceptable to civil society in the Valley as it exonerated the army and was conducted by a journalist known for his linkage to the then army chief’s father.



As the army provided institutional support to the accused even in cases like Pathribal, the Valley’s intelligentsia and civil society which was already tilted towards the separatists and militants, found it convenient to compromise neutrality and professionalism. When over 20 non-Kashmiri students were injured in the police lathi charge at NIT Srinagar, neither the agencies nor newspapers in Srinagar carried a line of reporting till it exploded in New Delhi.



People have little hesitation to admit that many of the journalists, human rights activists, judges and lawyers, even police officers, are obsessively inclined to one side and selectively pick up on matters that have potential to malign the Indian state, its systems, institutions and icons.



Now the battle lines are drawn. Rumour and perception have taken precedence over news. In the battle of narratives, which gets intensified by New Delhi’s licence to competitive separatism and an unbridled social media, the Valley would support the Handwara ‘victim’ only if she complains against the soldier. And the rest of India will be on her side only if she omits the soldier and proceeds against the two Kashmiri youths who created the scene.



Unscrupulous players have turned the teenager into a political football to strengthen their narrative. Nobody seems to care for her safety, dignity and future.



END


Wednesday, April 20, 2016


Army bunkers dismantled in Handwara; shopkeeper arrested

Normalcy returns to Handwara, Kupwara after a week of turbulence

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

______

Jammu, April 19: Normalcy returned to the turbulent Kupwara district after a week of turbulence when the authorities in Handwara dismantled Army’s 25-year-old bunker in the main market with the help of a bulldozer, parallel to the arrest of a shopkeeper who had allegedly attacked a teenage girl student on April 12.

Official sources said that on the direction of Deputy Commissioner of Kupwara, authorities pressed into service a JCB that demolished the two-storeyed bunker building in presence of over 300 residents and shopkeepers. A day after April 12th firing, in which two youths of Handwara and an alderly woman of Langate had died and several others got injured, DC Kupwara had held a meeting with the civil society in Handwara. During the meeting, it was agreed by the officers that so-called Town Commander’s bunker, would be dismantled and the company of RR 21 Bn shifted to the battalion headquarters at Bagatpora.

Sources said that in all three bunkers of RR 21 Bn were removed from Handwara town. Sources said that former Forest Minister Ghulam Mohiuddin Sofi, who had defeated senior National Conference leader Choudhary Ramzan as an Independent candidate with the support of Abdul Gani Lone’s Peoples Conference in 2002, had spent an amount of Rs 16 Lakh on construction and renovation of the bunker from his Constituency Development Fund. Mr Sofi has broken away with PC and joined the ruling Peoples Democratic Party some time back.

Ch Ramzan and independent MLA from Langate Engineer Rasheed had attended the civil society meeting with DC Kupwara Kumar Ranjiv Ranjan, Additional DC Muzaffar Ahmad and Tehsildar Handwara on April 13. Both Choudhary and Rasheed had pointed out that after shifting of the Army convoys through newly created bypass, there was no need of having a bunker in the main market. Engineer Rasheed said that the decision of demolition of the bunker had been taken on April 13 and implemented today.

MLA Handwara and Minister of Social Welfare Sajjad Gani Lone said that he handed over the space to the Municipal Committee of Handwara after demolition of the bunker. He said it was the peoples’ demand to remove the bunker.

Order was restored to Handwara after April 12 as the authorities lifted the curfew permanently and the traders subsequently opened their shops. In all 5 civilians got killed and over a hundred injured in five-day-long clashes with Police and security forces in Kupwara district that reeled under curfew and shutdown on the call of separatist organisations.

Simultaneously today, DC Kupwara held a meeting with traders of Kupwara at Hotel Raj Palace. In exchange of assurances from both sides, curfew was lifted and shops opened. DC Kupwara held another meeting with the residents at Police Station Trehgam---residential town of JKLF founder Maqbool Bhat that witnessed ding dong clashes between demonstrators and Police for five days.

Officials said that there would be no restrictions or curfew anywhere in Kupwara district on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Police claimed to have arrested shopkeeper Hilal Ahmad Banday of Handwara who had allegedly slapped a teenage girl student and dragged her to Police station with the allegation that she had been spotted with a soldier outside a public lavatory close to the Army bunker on April 12. In a video released secretly by Police and Army, the girl had stated that Hilal, alongwith a male student in uniform, had levelled allegations, beaten her up and dragged her to Police Station. On her statement, Police have registered FIR against the two youths.

Sources said that the unidentified male student would be arrested in the next 24 hours.

In a related development, an activist group has produced the mother of the girl student before media in Srinagar. She told journalists that Police had held her daughter in wrongful confinement and recorded her statement under duress. She has also filed a petition of wrongful confinement against Police. High Court has directed Police that the girl should not be exposed to media and that it should explain on April 20 under what law she had been detained alongwith her father. Court also directed that the girl be produced before nearest judicial magistrate for recording of her statement.

Subsequently, a judicial magistrate in Handwara has recorded her statement in which she has reportedly contradicted her mother and maintained that she had not been molested by any soldier. She has reiterated that two youths created the whole fuss who levelled baseless allegation that led to mayhem in the district.

END

Tuesday, April 19, 2016


Looka Mout




Once upon a time, probably in August 1994, a 28-year-old tailor in Qalamdanpora Nawab Bazar, Srinagar, was accused of raping a three-and-a-half-year-old girl by the baby's aunt. People gathered and the crowd swelled into thousands within minutes. The accused was grabbed and dragged to Kani Mazar in a thick procession where he was stoned to death. Everybody reported what the multitude of the people perceived to be true. 'Rapist of a three-and-a-half-year-old baby girl lynched to death'. In a week, or perhaps 10 days, I from Kashmir Times, alongwith photographer Fayaz Kabli, started an investigation. The girl’s family told us that the tailor had already shut the windows of his room on the 3rd floor where he was cooking rice on a heater. As usual the baby girl went to the neighbour's home and began playing with kids. When she went upstairs, she was seized by the tailor and raped. She came down while bleeding and weeping. She was rushed to SMHS and further referred to Lal Ded where doctors confirmed rape and gave her medication. Meanwhile, angry crowd lynched the tailor to death. The tailor's family said that the girl as usual was playing with their kids. She slipped and fell on a step and began weeping. Her aunt came and took her while shouting that "wrong" had been done with her. Her allegations of "wrong" spread like a wild fire. Within minutes, large number of people gathered and nobody listened to the poor tailor and his family. The tailor was dragged out, paraded and done to death in utter helplessness. During our investigation, a group of 3 Hizbul Mujahideen militants, each armed with AK-47 rifles, walked into the tailor's home and asked us why we were working on it. They asked who had sent us, why we didn't reach there in previous 10 days blah blah blah. Their last word: "Be fair. We will check your report". Another group of the militants of Jamiatul Mujahideen appeared with similar warning when we were at the girl’s home. They said before working further, we must see their commander who had called us to the canteen of SMHS Hospital. We went to see the commander. He had good manners and arranged for a tea for us. He contended that the tailor had raped the girl and brought to justice by the people. He too wanted us to be “fair” and warned that any “wrong reporting” would land us in trouble. With one militant group supporting the tailor's family and another group the girl’s family, we had in fact already landed in trouble. Since we were firm in our resolve, completely neutral---and fortunately both the groups said we should not come under any influence and should work and report according to our Imaan--- we went ahead. When we quizzed the cute little girl, who was now with her mother at maternal home at Zaldagar, she narrated that the 'uncle' (tailor) caught her, pulled off her trouser and did the "wrong" which caused bleeding and she was rescued by her aunt when she screamed. I asked her same question after intervals three times during the course of our taking the tea with all members of the family. All the three times, the baby narrated the same, with no change of punctuations or tempo. All the three times, she began gasping and weeping at the end of the 30-second narration. That made us suspicious that the incredibly smart baby girl had mugged up and rehearsed the narration from someone. Elders said that the girl’s parents rushed her to SMHS wherefrom she was referred to Lal Ded. They said that the doctors prescribed medication and confirmed rape in a certificate. When we wanted to see the certificate, they said it was with the girl’s father who was not present. It took us four days of labour to reach the truth. We discovered that actually there was a dispute on 6 ft. of land between the two neighbours. That particular day's temperature was around 37 degree Celsius and there was a remote possibility of the tailor sitting on the prowl with all the windows of his 10x10 ft. room shut and he being cooking the rice on heater. At SMHS it was confirmed to us that the girl had been brought there, examined and referred to Lal Ded for gynecological examination. We went to Lal Ded and found that the girl had been examined by famous gynecologist Dr Farhat Hameed. She was not present. Next day, we managed to meet her at her residence---well in front of today’s KNS office in Press Enclave. During our interaction, we asked Dr Farhat if she had found the girl sexually violated. She said "NO". We asked her why then she had issued certificate of sexual assault. Was it under the pressure of the militants supporting the girl’s family? She said in such matters no lady doctor would act under any pressure. “She is less than 4 year old. Had she been raped, she would have died or been injured badly”, Dr Farhat said. Thereupon, she pulled out a copy of her examination report of the girl which clearly recorded that her hymen was intact and there was not even the slightest evidence of any physical force or violation on her body. Even her outfits were in order. In the next few days, my 3,000-word investigative story with Fayaz Kabli’s photos---arguably the only one of its kind in post-1990 era in Kashmir----published on first half page and last full page of KT. And nobody of either side, not even the militants holding AK-47 rifles, turned up with displeasure or a threat. It only underscores the need of "thorough probing" which the holy Quran prescribed strictly for such situations. It means that the mass outcry can be sometimes a fact, sometimes a fiction and, more dangerously, sometimes a mixture of both.

Sunday, April 17, 2016


Judge records Handwara girl’s statement; mother files petition, says Police recorded video ‘under duress’

Police disrupt JKCCC-sponsored press conference of the girl’s mother

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

________

JAMMU, April 16: A judicial magistrate in Handwara on Saturday recorded the statement of a sixteen-year-old girl student under section 164-A of Criminal Procedure Code even as her mother filed a petition of wrongful confinement in the Jammu and Kashmir High Court while alleging that Police had put her daughter under duress and got her statement recorded and released to media illegally on April 13th.  An alleged attempt of the teenager’s molestation by a soldier, though contradicted by the girl in the video, triggered off clashes between demonstrators and Police/ security forces in Kupwara district---leading to death of five civilians and breakdown of normality across Kashmir valley.

Sources said that the girl, who had been in the custody of Police along with her father and brother for the last four days, was produced before a judicial magistrate in Handwara on Saturday. The judge reportedly recorded her statement in-camera in presence of her father and brother under section 164-A Cr PC.

Reports awaiting official confirmation said that after her statement was recorded, the girl was handed over to her family and taken to an undisclosed location.

Simultaneously, in a related development in Srinagar, activists of Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society, which has been documenting and highlighting the human rights abuse allegedly committed by Police, security forces and counterinsurgents, filed a writ petition in the J&K High Court on behalf of the girl’s family. It has been alleged in the petition that Police had held her, as also her father, in wrongful confinement and got her statement recorded “under duress”.

Mr Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar directed the Police to explain under which law it had confined the minor girl. The judge also sought an explanation how the girl’s statement had been recorded in absence of her family members and how the same, with full exposure of her face, had been released to media in breach of the Supreme Court of India guidelines. He directed that Police should not produce her before media for any interaction and exposure. Besides, the judge directed Police to arrange for recording of the girl’s statement under law before the nearest judicial magistrate.

JKCCC functionary Khurram Pervez arranged a press conference by the girl’s mother at a restaurant in Lambert Lane, in Civil Lines area of Srinagar. However, middle-rank Police officers, including a Superintendent of Police and a Dy SP, appeared at the restaurant and they did not permit the mediapersons to interact with the woman. Still, an NDTV correspondent, who had already sneaked in, recorded the woman’s interview which went on air subsequently on the television channel.

As claimed by JKCCC, the woman alleged that Police had held her daughter and husband in wrongful confinement and got her video recorded illegally. She alleged that on April 12th, a soldier of Army had followed her daughter to a public lavatory and attempted molestation but the girl’s “brothers” (local male students) raised commotion. This ignited the clashes and Army opened fire in which two boys were “martyred”.

"After her school closed down, she came out with other girls and walked into the bathroom in the market at about 3:30 p.m. A soldier followed her. When she saw him, she screamed to attract the shopkeepers’ attention. The shopkeepers and the boys could not tolerate their sister being in trouble. A crowd gathered. She was taken police station but the soldier escaped. Meanwhile stone throwing started. Why did they throw stones? They did it for their Muslim sister as they couldn’t tolerate it.  Police and army opened fire and martyred the youths”, the girl’s mother said in a video released by JKCCC.

Police have maintained complete silence but communicated to senior government functionaries that the girl, along with her father and brother, had been kept in “protective custody” for three days of turbulence so as to ensure that nobody harmed her or her family for giving clean chit to Army in an alleged attempt of molestation.

END


KASHMIR: A Policy Paralysis!

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

_____________

For years and decades, everybody in New Delhi----from intelligence agencies to political parties----drained the poor Indian taxpayer's exchequer by pumping money, pampering and appeasement of Kashmir's politicians, blah blah blah, only to retain control on the land. In the process, Delhi created "agents" not patriots, not nationalists who could have emerged naturally out of the beauty of a true democratic system and legitimacy of institutions. The agency politics became phenomenal after J&K Assembly passed a unanimous resolution for restoration of greater autonomy in 1999. Rather than the genuine political leadership at the Centre, it were the Army generals and security/intelligence officers like Dulat and Doval who handled the Kashmir affairs in cahoots with the best of Kashmir's sellouts and the lowest bidders of the agency politics. Licenses were granted and deceitful slogans allotted to the agency politicians who gave their own interpretations to every single incident and development and carried out agendas under camouflage. What better can be the proof of the failure and futility of India's Kashmir policy than the comparison between October 2014 and April 2016. In 2014, Kashmir witnessed India's best held elections of post-47 era as millions of voters participated with unprecedented enthusiasm and not a single Indian flag, banner or Rahul Gandhi’s/ Narendra Modi’s hoarding was pulled down or torched anywhere in the Valley for 3 months of electioneering. Within one and a half years, everything has turned topsy turvy. Everybody seems to be burning with anti-India sentiment, yearning for separation and learning to return deceit for deceit. Delhi’s so-called Kashmir experts, who have grown notorious for analysing things subjectively and projecting their own clientèle of agents for the power in J&K, must today explain how an allegation of molestation of a girl, levelled by others not even by the natural complainant, has yet again turned this paradise into hellhole. This will simmer, notwithstanding all the poltical and media engineering. This will spill blood, notwithstanding the mainstream opposition's mute response and promises of cooperation, notwithstanding the separatist opposition's undertaking that they would neither call for "Handwara Chalo" nor issue the shutdown calendar. On an optimistic note, remember there's solution to every conflict on the earth. For now, stop this bloodshed, punish the guilty without any prose and poetry, hold your executive accountable, make your judiciary credible and STOP YOUR AGENCY POLITICS.