SOPORE WOMEN KILLING

Widespread condemnation forces Geelani to call shutdown in hometown

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Feb 3: Cold-blooded killing of two young women, that has been conveniently downplayed or completely ignored by most of the separatist leaders and human rights groups for allegedly being a handiwork of separatist militants, today generated first protest demonstration in the summer capital. Under the impact of widespread public condemnation across the Valley, hardliner separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani has finally called for a shutdown in the north Kashmir apple town on Friday.

Carrying placards and asking Hurriyat (G) Chairman, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, why he had not called for any shutdown against the Sopore killings, scores of men, women and children, appeared at Sher-e-Kashmir Municipal Park in Civil Lines in the forenoon today. They registered their strong protest against killing of two young daughters of a poor labourer, Ghulam Nabi Dar of Muslim Peer, Sopore, while shouting slogans against the killers. For fear of reprisal from militants, a number of the participants had their faces covered. As already reported, 17-year-old Aarifa and 20-year-old Akhtara, had been dragged out by gunmen late in the night on January 31 and shot dead near Rahim Sahab shrine in Sopore.

Participants described themselves as members of a non-governmental organization even as many in media suspected it as a Police-sponsored demonstration and did not lend too much of importance to the outburst. Similar demonstrations had been witnessed in the Civil Lines during the thick of last year’s mass uprising that was publicly sponsored by Geelani and his hardliner supporters. That time, demonstrators had questioned Geelani’s wisdom of enforcing over a hundred shutdowns through four months of the academic and tourist season.

Demonstrators in today’s rally, whose number was not legion, expressed surprise over the “double standards” adopted by politicians and human rights activists vis-à-vis killings happening at the hands of security forces, Police, counter-insurgents and separatist militants since 1989 in Jammu and Kashmir. They pointed out that politicians, human rights groups and media had raised hue and cry selectively on the killings committed by Police, armed forces and other government agencies but the same civil society groups and politicians, separatist as well as mainstream, had conveniently downplayed the twin murder in Sopore that was widely believed to the handiwork of separatist militants.

An elderly woman lashed out even at the mainstream politicians and government officials and expressed surprise that none of them, with the exception of a junior Minister and NC’s Sopore MLA, had called on the bereaved family. According to her, pro-India politicians in the Valley were acting as blotting papers on India’s exchequer, making it poorer and poorer by drawing all kinds of benefits and privileges but simply following the separatist politicians in selectively condemning the incidents of violence.

Hours after the demonstration dispersed, Geelani issued a statement from his New Delhi residence and asked the residents of his hometown to observe complete shutdown against the twin killings tomorrow. Geelani as well as other separatist leaders have earlier issued mild statements of condemnation but none of them has visited the victim family in Sopore in the last three days. A spokesman of Jamaat-e-Islami also issued a statement of condemnation today.

Cornered by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on the twin murder on day one, most of the separatists have now condemned the assassination. Significantly, however, none of them has pointed fingers on Police and other government agencies that have been always at the receiving end on such occasions.

Calling for shutdown in Sopore and protest demonstrations after Friday prayers across the Valley tomorrow, Geelani expressed hope that killers of the young women would be exposed sooner than later. He was critical of forces and Police for patrolling in the apple town by night but avoided to directly put the blame of double murder on them.

Residents in Sopore said that Geelani was himself perturbed over the activities of a particular guerrilla outfit that had allegedly gunned down his confidante, cable operator Ashiq Hussain, last year and was now believed to be responsible for kidnapping and killing two young women---members of the poorest family in Muslim Peer locality.

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