DNA Edit: Security for separatists

Mohammed Ayub Pandith, a DySP of the J&K police, was lynched by a mob last week outside of Jamia Masjid. Reports from the ground are still unclear on the circumstances building up his death, however, there is little doubt now that Army and police officers from Kashmir who serve the Indian establishment are now in the crosshairs.  

In early May, Ummer Fayaz,  a 22-year-old Rajputana Rifles Lieutenant, was kidnapped and shot dead by militants. in mid-June, Feroz Ahmed Dar and five other policemen were ambushed and mercilessly killed in Achabal in Anantnag district. And within 10 days of Dar’s killing comes the inhumane murder of Pandith by an unruly mob. A knee-jerk reaction would be to blame the mob. Yes, undeniably, there were elements in the mob that did carry out such a dastardly act, but to view this incident as an isolated one, without probing its ideological moorings, will be naïve.  It is much to the credit of the Indian Constitution and its democratic fabric that an organisation like the Hurriyat Conference — which has for long espoused causes beneficial to our disputatious neighbour — has not only existed but also thrived, while countless soldiers and policemen have laid down their lives to protect the motherland.  

Meanwhile, it has come to the fore that from 2001 to 2012, the government spent Rs 9.47 crore on providing security to separatist leaders, while another PIL filed in the SC revealed that a total of over Rs 300 crore was incurred by the Indian government on hotels, security and other expenses of separatist leaders. This is unpardonable. The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) was formed in July 1993 with an aim to provide militant outfits with an expression of political heft. It is no surprise then that many of the constituents of the APHC seek resolution of the virtually interminable crisis in J&K by merging with Pakistan. To that end, many a leader of the APHC has often delivered speeches bordering on incitement, and far too often have they been charged with sedition.  

If the government is to have a workable long-term strategy on quelling the violence in the Valley, it will not bear any fruit unless it outlines a firm and uncompromising course of action to bring the leadership of this secessionist movement to a stop. What’s more, even in the past, various agencies like the Income Tax department, Central Bureau of Investigation, Intelligence Bureau and others have initiated crackdowns against these leaders and their properties, but none of them have resulted in a conviction by the courts.