The state government has also sanctioned compensation and jobs to the kin of those civilians who were “not involved in instigating violence”.
In a bid to calm volatile tempers, the J&K government has ordered a judicial probe into the recent killings of civilians by security forces.
The state government has also sanctioned compensation and jobs to the kin of those civilians who were “not involved in instigating violence”. “A committee comprising the deputy commissioner and the district superintendent of police shall ascertain and certify the non involvement of the deceased civilian and next of kin to be appointed in actual violence or instigation,” a government spokesperson said.
The decisions were taken in a special cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Omar Abdullah here on Tuesday.
“The cabinet has approved the constitution of the commission of inquiry under the Jammu and Kashmir Commission of Inquiry Act, 1962. Justice Syed Basher-ud-Din (Retd) as the chairman and justice YP Nargotra as a member of the commission will inquire into all the 17 incidents in Kashmir division in which fatalities occurred on account of action by the state police or security forces since June 11,” the spokesman said.
The commission has been asked to submit its report to the government in three months.
The decision was based on the recommendations made by an all-party meeting here earlier this month. The cabinet also approved the setting up of a committee to review detention cases under the Public Safety Act (PSA) and make recommendations on the release of detainees. Several separatists, stone-pelters and lawyers including Hurriyat hawk Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Kashmir High Court Bar Association chief Mian Abdul Qayoom, have been booked under PSA and shifted to various jails in the state.
The separatists, however, have termed the cabinet’s decisions a “joke”. “It is a big joke given the past experiences. We have seen commissions being formed in Shopian and Machil, but nothing came out of it. It is a facade just to hide their [government’s] failures,” moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said.
If New Delhi is concerned, it should take concrete steps to demilitarise towns and cities, repeal draconian laws, withdraw the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and release prisoners, Mirwaiz said, adding, “Only these steps will satisfy the people. Otherwise, the common man will continue to feel choked and suffer at the hands of security forces.”
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