Fresh spell of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir
In green land of ‘resistance’, law takes political course to protect an accused
Govt. hired Harish Salve for Rs 16 lakh to fail SP Javed Matoo’s bail in Shopian ‘rape-cum-murder’. When hero of the story Shakeel Ahangar attempted to burn his second wife to death, Police didn’t arrest him for two months till he got bail
Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
________
SRINAGAR, Aug 20: A total of 12 successful operations by security forces and Police in entire Kashmir valley in eight months of the current year could be an indicator of the diminishing insurgency. However, the lately captured militant Naveed’s purported disclosures during interrogation make it clear that both, Kashmiri as well as Pakistani militants, have been moving throughput the hinterland with their arms and ammunition and without fear of being intercepted.
Of the 31 people killed in these operations, 22 were militants. However, the damage suffered by Police and security forces was no less significant. While the militants in an ambush gunned down three unarmed Policemen in Shopian, Commanding Officer of a Rashtriya Rifles battalion Col. M.N. Roy and another soldier were killed in a fierce encounter with militants in Tral area of Awantipora.
Striking at will, suspected militants shot dead as many as 11 civilians during the same period. Death of six civilians associated with mobile telecommunication in Sopore area spread a wave of fresh terror across the Valley.
While as the 12 successful operations occurred in Sopore, Awantipora, Shopian, Baramulla and Pulwama districts, not one took place in Kupwara, Handwara, Bandipore, Ganderbal, Budgam, Srinagar and Anantnag. One of the senior Police officers disclosed to STATE TIMES that the new brand of militants was trying to set up base and hideouts in the areas perceived to be free of insurgency.
With the senior officers and politicians neither visiting the sites of encounters and wreath-laying functions nor making a statement to contest the rumour mills, many of the Kashmiris still believe that Naveed is a "fake". Social media went uncontested till it successfully projected him as “an Indian”.
With nobody contesting the separatists' allegations, many of the Kashmiris seemed to believe for about two months that the guerrillas striking on telecom operators were somewhere linked to the Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's "counterterrorist militia". Coincidentally, the terrorist strikes in Sopore began in days of Parrikar's public statement that India should use terrorists against terrorists. Those attacked included some followers and workers of the pro-Pakistan hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani.
Though SSPs and DIGs do supervise an operation, senior officers avoid being seen on the forefront---a tradition set up and sustained by hardcore counter-insurgents of the yesteryears like P.S. Gill, K. Rajendra Kumar and S.M. Sahai.
Being soft to the contributors of turmoil and separatist movement turned bizarre when the Police, purportedly under instructions of the political executive, ignored a housewife’s complaint and avoided booking her husband when she alleged in April 2015 that he had attempted to burn her to death for her failure to get him dowry. The accused was none other than Shakeel Ahmad Ahangar who set entire Kashmir on fire in 2009 with his allegation that Police and security forces had “raped and murdered” his first wife and sister.
For months in 2009, Ahangar’s allegations helped the separatists and then mainstream opposition PDP to sustain turbulence till CBI established in its investigation that the two women had been neither raped nor murdered. It concluded that a group of lawyers and doctors had actually hatched up a conspiracy and dismissed Ahangar’s allegations as unfounded. Cornered by the opposition, Omar Abdullah’s government got four Police officers, including SP Javed Iqbal Matoo, arrested. In order to ensure that the accused are not enlarged on bail, Government hired eminent Supreme Court lawyer Harish Salve and reportedly paid him Rs 16 lakh only to contest the detainees’ plea in court. CBI later found all the four detainees innocent.
In April this year, Ahangar’s second wife got her statement recorded before a judicial magistrate under section 164 of Cr PC when she noticed that Police had no will to proceed against a man who had emerged as an icon of the separatist movement in 2009. Even after the complainant’s statement was recorded by a judge and a court rejected his anticipatory bail, Ahangar was not arrested for a second till, two months later, he, according to residents, succeeded to obtain bail from a magistrate. Ahangar’s second wife narrated to the judge how her husband and other members of his family sprinkled kersone oil on her clothes and body and attempted to burn her to death. Police admitted that the evidences of the crime had been seized.
"In such matters, Police normally conduct raids, arrest the accused and put him and his family members behind bars”, Shakeel Ahmad Bhat of Shopian observed. “But when the Police act selectively, as per the face of the accused, it makes a mockery of the whole system and provided confidence and over-empowerment to the elements who are sworn to exploit weaknesses of the system”. “Previously, a sense of injustice and victimhood made them extremists. Now, they feel stronger on noticing the weaknesses of law enforcement agencies”, Bhat added.
Even as the Police ducked in Ahangar’s matter, on April 6, militants ambushed and shot dead three unarmed Policemen in Shopian when they were returning from an investigation.
[To be concluded]
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In green land of ‘resistance’, law takes political course to protect an accused
Govt. hired Harish Salve for Rs 16 lakh to fail SP Javed Matoo’s bail in Shopian ‘rape-cum-murder’. When hero of the story Shakeel Ahangar attempted to burn his second wife to death, Police didn’t arrest him for two months till he got bail
Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
________
SRINAGAR, Aug 20: A total of 12 successful operations by security forces and Police in entire Kashmir valley in eight months of the current year could be an indicator of the diminishing insurgency. However, the lately captured militant Naveed’s purported disclosures during interrogation make it clear that both, Kashmiri as well as Pakistani militants, have been moving throughput the hinterland with their arms and ammunition and without fear of being intercepted.
Of the 31 people killed in these operations, 22 were militants. However, the damage suffered by Police and security forces was no less significant. While the militants in an ambush gunned down three unarmed Policemen in Shopian, Commanding Officer of a Rashtriya Rifles battalion Col. M.N. Roy and another soldier were killed in a fierce encounter with militants in Tral area of Awantipora.
Striking at will, suspected militants shot dead as many as 11 civilians during the same period. Death of six civilians associated with mobile telecommunication in Sopore area spread a wave of fresh terror across the Valley.
While as the 12 successful operations occurred in Sopore, Awantipora, Shopian, Baramulla and Pulwama districts, not one took place in Kupwara, Handwara, Bandipore, Ganderbal, Budgam, Srinagar and Anantnag. One of the senior Police officers disclosed to STATE TIMES that the new brand of militants was trying to set up base and hideouts in the areas perceived to be free of insurgency.
With the senior officers and politicians neither visiting the sites of encounters and wreath-laying functions nor making a statement to contest the rumour mills, many of the Kashmiris still believe that Naveed is a "fake". Social media went uncontested till it successfully projected him as “an Indian”.
With nobody contesting the separatists' allegations, many of the Kashmiris seemed to believe for about two months that the guerrillas striking on telecom operators were somewhere linked to the Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's "counterterrorist militia". Coincidentally, the terrorist strikes in Sopore began in days of Parrikar's public statement that India should use terrorists against terrorists. Those attacked included some followers and workers of the pro-Pakistan hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani.
Though SSPs and DIGs do supervise an operation, senior officers avoid being seen on the forefront---a tradition set up and sustained by hardcore counter-insurgents of the yesteryears like P.S. Gill, K. Rajendra Kumar and S.M. Sahai.
Being soft to the contributors of turmoil and separatist movement turned bizarre when the Police, purportedly under instructions of the political executive, ignored a housewife’s complaint and avoided booking her husband when she alleged in April 2015 that he had attempted to burn her to death for her failure to get him dowry. The accused was none other than Shakeel Ahmad Ahangar who set entire Kashmir on fire in 2009 with his allegation that Police and security forces had “raped and murdered” his first wife and sister.
For months in 2009, Ahangar’s allegations helped the separatists and then mainstream opposition PDP to sustain turbulence till CBI established in its investigation that the two women had been neither raped nor murdered. It concluded that a group of lawyers and doctors had actually hatched up a conspiracy and dismissed Ahangar’s allegations as unfounded. Cornered by the opposition, Omar Abdullah’s government got four Police officers, including SP Javed Iqbal Matoo, arrested. In order to ensure that the accused are not enlarged on bail, Government hired eminent Supreme Court lawyer Harish Salve and reportedly paid him Rs 16 lakh only to contest the detainees’ plea in court. CBI later found all the four detainees innocent.
In April this year, Ahangar’s second wife got her statement recorded before a judicial magistrate under section 164 of Cr PC when she noticed that Police had no will to proceed against a man who had emerged as an icon of the separatist movement in 2009. Even after the complainant’s statement was recorded by a judge and a court rejected his anticipatory bail, Ahangar was not arrested for a second till, two months later, he, according to residents, succeeded to obtain bail from a magistrate. Ahangar’s second wife narrated to the judge how her husband and other members of his family sprinkled kersone oil on her clothes and body and attempted to burn her to death. Police admitted that the evidences of the crime had been seized.
"In such matters, Police normally conduct raids, arrest the accused and put him and his family members behind bars”, Shakeel Ahmad Bhat of Shopian observed. “But when the Police act selectively, as per the face of the accused, it makes a mockery of the whole system and provided confidence and over-empowerment to the elements who are sworn to exploit weaknesses of the system”. “Previously, a sense of injustice and victimhood made them extremists. Now, they feel stronger on noticing the weaknesses of law enforcement agencies”, Bhat added.
Even as the Police ducked in Ahangar’s matter, on April 6, militants ambushed and shot dead three unarmed Policemen in Shopian when they were returning from an investigation.
[To be concluded]
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