September 7 was to be remembered in history books. On this day, the maestro composer Zubin Mehta was to perform “Ehsaas-e-Kashmir” at the Shalimaar Garden on the banks of the World famous Dal Lake. An elitist gathering of 1500 people watched his performance and were all praises for Zubin’s inimitable style and panache. The state government had made adequate arrangements for the show which included an unprecedented foolproof security, concertina wires ubiquitous on the streets of Srinagar-and even in lanes and by lanes of the old city- and digging up of a road in the vicinity of the famous Mughal garden where Zubin was to perform in order to stop access of the undisguised commoners from the scene of the event.
The question that beckons everyone is that if this event was for Kashmiris, then why was the local populace literally caged in their homes on the day of the event? There are a substantial number of political thinkers who opine that the amount spent on Zubin Mehta’s show could easily have been diverted towards social work, towards building a hospital and towards giving employment to the thousands of educated unemployed youth. A minority few also argue that an event of such significance has the potential to boost the economy of the state of Jammu and Kashmir and in particular the Tourism would get a fillip by the organization of such an event of International significance.
While Kashmiris were oscillating between these two thoughts, an event of a sinister plot stole the limelight. The CRPF men manning the bunker at the Gagren Camp in Shopian pumped volley of bullets in the bodies of four bikers killing them on the spot. While the CRPF maintains that one of the youth attacked their camp, the Jammu and Kashmir police (JKP) in an unusually ‘matter of fact’ statement stated that the killed youth had no previous militancy background. The police version gives credence to the account of the eye witnesses to the incidents who claim that the CRPF fired upon the youth after the youth did not stop for frisking near the camp. The CRPF was adamant in its denial but barely four days after killing four youth, CRPF personnel of the same camp shot dead one more youth Muhammad Rafi Rather(28) in an act of unprovoked firing making it clear that they have a covert license to kill anyone who disobeys their orders.
The incident triggered massive protests in which at least a dozen people including four women were injured. The deceased, according to eye witness accounts was going to his in-laws house in Shopian town and while he was passing by the camp, the CRPF personnel resorted to indiscriminate firing killing him on spot.
The state administration given to imposing curfews after such events was at its best imposing curfew in Shopian and Pulwama districts. The ‘Shopian Chalo’ call of veteran separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani was neutralized by barricading almost every road in the vicinity of Pulwama and Shopian and by the draconian ‘House Arrest’ policy.
Ripped of all statesmanship traits was the silence of the leaders of national Conference leaders about the Shopian event. The National Conference Party hard-pressed to see sheen not fading away from the successful conclusion of Zubin Mehta’s event probably thought to buy time till the dust settled down. This has lead even more alienation in the people of Kashmir who are demanding answers from the government.
This wanton butchery of CRPF reminds one of the medieval Knights who would kill people just for little or no reason.
There is no democratic country in the world which would accept such killings as ‘Standard Operating Procedure’. The whole nation stands baffled as to why a First Information Report (FIR) is not lodged in this event when the Police Department has categorically stated that the killed youth had no previous record of militancy.
The way things are unraveling, it is becoming increasingly clear that the establishment is eager to push the valley in to tentacles of a full-fledged police state where the survival and death of civilians depends on the mood of the trigger happy cop on the street.
The state government must come out of the cocoon of inertness and immediately lodge an FIR against the accused soldiers. For the time being, the state government should remove the volatile Gagren camp from its current place and shift it to some other place.
What is the need of laws like the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) at a time when it gives unbridled powers to the Army and the CRPF? How many more civilians have to die to convince the Centre and the state government about the fallibility of this law? How many more children need to be orphaned to convince army that AFSPA is not incorrigible?
While the state government has ordered the shifting of the CRPF camp from the Gagren area, a time-bound inquiry is yet to see the light of the day. Kashmiris have had limitless brushes with these futile probes any way. Apart from the Pathribal fake encounter case and the Machil fake encounter case no probe ever proved anything. The state government is the protector of the citizens Right to Live. It cannot look the other way when the life of all the citizens is in danger.