Loss of lives in Kashmir can't be business as usual

"A lie can travel halfway across the world before truth can even put its shoes on," aptly sums up the latest round of rumour-mongering in Kashmir and the current situation in the Valley. There is a pattern to this. From the rumour of desecration of graves in Pulwama to the alleged molestation in Handwara, it's like a rerun of "summer of discontent" in Kashmir.

The headlines and the pictures are all too familiar but not for the families of the victims. Only their loss is real. But that really doesn’t matter either to those who spread the rumours, those who take pictures, those who write headlines or those put down the agitation. Except for the families of those killed and injured – civilians or soldiers – nobody else really cares. For everyone else, it's all in a day’s work.

This is something the "agitating crowds" need to realise. "No terrorist graves were desecrated in Pulwama by soldiers. But a rumour was deliberately spread and it led to tension.

Similarly, the girl in Handwara herself told the police she was not molested. Some youth in school uniform spread the rumour and within minutes a mob assembled and started stone pelting. It went on for three hours," a top officer monitoring the developments in Jammu and Kashmir told me.

This he says is just the beginning. More rumours will be spread and more street protests and stone pelting mobs will be organised in the weeks to come. The reason? According to the Army, the year 2016 has so far been the most successful year in terms of anti-terrorist operations since 2011.

In the past three months, the Army has neutralised 26 terrorists. The Army confidently asserts that it is on top of the situation both in the north and south of the Pir Panjal. In the south of Pir Panjal, in the Doda, Kishtwar, Poonch and Rajauri areas, there has been no major terrorist activities in the past two years.

The coordination between the Army, state police and the local people have more or less ensured foreign terrorists don’t find a safe haven here. Local intelligence inputs have been very positive," an official says. In south Kashmir, separatists have been re-asserting themselves. Pulwama, Anantnag, Tral and Shopian have seen a spike in both agitations, protests and activities of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists. But the security forces have successfully engaged terrorists given sharp ground level intelligence inputs.

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"There is trouble no doubt. A large number of people turning up for the funeral of terrorists, Hizbul cadre emerging, but nothing that the political leadership should not be able to counter should it show the will," sources insist. In north Kashmir (Baramula, Sopore and Kupwara) too, the Army insists it is on top of the situation and neither terrorists from across the line of control (LoC), nor their sympathisers are able to make a difference.

Therefore, to keep the pot boiling, they are desperately trying to foment trouble through rumour-mongering and street protests. The biggest challenge for the security forces is to ensure they do not lose their cool and play into the hands of anti-India elements.

Even the agitators need to be very clear on a few points. There are certain situations in which the security forces will open fire whether in Kashmir or Kanyakumari. A threat to a soldier’s life, limb, weapon or post is ground for him to open fire in self defence, with or without Armed Forces [Special Powers] Act (AFSPA). A soldier is not worth his salt if he loses his weapon to rioters or terrorists.

Also read: Blame Mehbooba for Handwara killings

There have been instances where soldiers, under intense pressure from superiors, who are under pressure from political masters themselves, turn a blind eye to weapons being looted or vehicles set on fire. But that is both very poor leadership at level of security forces and politicians. The red lines need to be clearly defined.

Also read - Shoot to kill: Standard operating procedure in Kashmir

The government too needs to crack down on those pulling the strings in stone pelting incidents. After the 2010 incidents, both state and Central government officials had details of the funding of stone pelters, the hawala chain of money transfers and the leaders.

However, little was done to check them at that time. This time the security forces should be pro-active. Arrest the troublemakers before more lives are lost. Loss of lives in Kashmir cannot and should not be business as usual.