ACTION BARBARIC

ACTION BARBARIC

The brutal action by the cops against the protesting Kashmiri Pandits in Valley after the targeted killing of their community member working inside the government office in Chadoora is not only barbaric but also shows the prejudice against the hapless community which is facing a series of hardships since its exodus from the Valley in 1990. The way the police has used force on the peaceful protesters, the days of the British in India have come to the minds of those who have seen that dark era and those having the slightest knowledge of the days bygone. In this context, Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha has ordered a probe into the tear gas shelling incident on protesting Kashmiri Pandits on May 13 with a stringent direction that strict action will be taken against officials involved in the bigotry but the big question which has become point of contention is that why on earth cops thought of doing something which is unbecoming on their part as peaceful protest is the right of every citizen and no government can stop this under normal circumstances. It is highly unfortunate that police had used tear gas against Kashmir Pandits, who were protesting peacefully against the killing of government employee, Rahul Bhat, by terrorists inside a government office. At least there is some solace for the affected KPs that LG Sinha has said that Rahul Bhat’s killing is a targeted one and the newly formed SIT will probe it from all angles along with probing use of force to disperse Kashmiri migrant protests in the aftermath of the incident. As reports are affirming about more protests being carried out in the UT against the killing, the government taking a considerate view and rectifying its mistake has given directions to the administration not to use force anywhere. Such measures should have been taken earlier to avoid the embarrassing situation as much damage has been done to the image of administration after the brutal action of cops against the KPs. However now the the government has constituted an SIT to probe Bhat’s murder, the station house officer (SHO) of Chadoora police station has been removed and strict instructions have been given to avoid any kind of confrontations with KPs if at all there are any protests with regard to aforesaid killing in Valley.