Shopian riddle

Forensic, quasi-judicial, police inquiries failed to establish the facts with regard to the Shopian case where two women have been found dead. Were they raped and then murdered by the men in uniform as claimed by local people and the political agitators in Srinagar and elsewhere?

Did the doctor who performed the autopsy in the immediate aftermath right the first time when she said that the women were raped or the second time when she revealed that she was under tremendous pressure to do so and that there was no evidence of rape? Is the CBI report to be believed that the cause of death to be due to simple drowning and that there was nothing to prove rape and murder? Who is to be believed and who not?

These are questions that would have been normally raised in similar cases given the part shoddiness, part venality of the investigation process in the country. In Jammu & Kashmir such cases become doubly explosive with political ramifications. Separatists jump into the fray with uncanny alacrity, mainstream opposition parties feel compelled to join the chorus of protests for fear of losing political credibility. The state government is on the back foot in the face of mobilised street fury.

What is tragic in all this is that not one of them is really concerned with the facts of the case and the sadness surrounding the death of the two women does not find a place in all the debates. The grieving family is of no consequence. It would not have been necessary to read motives but for the fact it has been turned into a larger political issue.

It seems that separatists want to drive home the point once more that there is a collective conspiracy between the state and central governments to suppress facts about crimes committed by the security forces against the people. In the same way, it would seem that the doctor who changed her version was under pressure from both sides and that the CBI report lacks credibility because the investigation agency does not enjoy the reputation of being an independent body.

This takes us to the core issue at stake — political trust in J&K. It is not something that can be created in a single, grand gesture. It depends on what the authorities do every day in their dealings with the people. Shopian-like incidents will continue to erupt if governments do not connect with ordinary folk.