Police failure leads separatists to target govt over kid’s killing

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
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SRINAGAR, Sep 21: Inability of the Police, both in striking on the proactive militants and cracking even a single mysterious killing by unidentified gunmen in Sopore and Baramulla districts this year, has led the separatists to blame "government agencies" for the barbaric assassination of a former militant and his three-year-old son in north Kashmir.

Some of the senior Police officials have asserted while responding to questions from media that the killers of Shabir Ahmad Bhat of Sagipora and his son Burhan were none other than militants. However, Police as well as security forces have avoided issuing a detailed statement and naming the group or the 'militants' they believed to be the assassins. Significantly, even the brother of the slain civilian has said that some people chased away the gunmen and captured one of them who was let off when his accomplice threw a grenade.

Sustained silence of Police and Army officers has apparently led many to believe that the assassins could be the government-sponsored guerrillas associated with Hizbul Mujahideen’s breakaway faction 'Lashkar-e-Islam'. "We admit it's our failure as we have failed even to tell the truth. People at large expect the government to be resourceful and knowledgeable about every single guerrilla killing. When we remain tightlipped, we make ourselves suspects in the eyes if the people", said a Police official wishing to remain anonymous.

"Had it been done or initially perceived to be done by Police, Army or the local counter-insurgents, whole of Sopore, Handwara and Baramulla would be gathered at Sagipora and started massive demonstrations. Skeletal attendance at the twin funeral is an indication that there are few takers of the separatists' narrative and the militants' accusations against security forces. But this can change as there's no response or formal explanation from the government", he added.

On the other hand, separatist hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani, albeit after a day’s silence, was the first who suggested that a number of civilians, including Sagipora's father-son duo, had been eliminated by what he called government-sponsored gunmen. He referred to the Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's statement that India would be within its right to use terrorists against the terrorists. In follow up to Geelani’s, coupled with Hizbul Mujahideen supremo Syed Salahuddin's statement, almost all the mainstream and separatist outfits and prominent leaders have condemned the brutal killing. On their call, Valley observed a protest shutdown on Sunday.

Salahuddin on Monday targeted media on running what he called "state-sponsored narrative" of the twin killing in Sagipora.

“Modi government is hell-bent upon reviving the SOG culture in the state. But we will not let their designs to succeed", Salahuddin said in a statement on Monday. He was critical of a section of media "for creating an impression that such killing were taking place as a result of factional war between Hibul Mujahideen and Laskari Islam". He warned that media should refrain from such “state-sponsored narrative” and added that there was no organisation by the title of Lashkar-e-Islam. “Indian agencies are actually using name of Lashkar-e-Islam to cover its nefarious activities,” he said.

The statement issued by Hizb spokesperson Saleem Hashmi quoted Salahuddin said that the “barbaric act of killing three-year-old Burhan is an aimed at tarnishing the image of Islam and the freedom fighters in Kashmir".

“Such killers cannot have any association with Islam or with Kashmir’s freedom movement,” he said.

The Hizb chief alleged that "Special Operation Group (SOG) of State Police and their paid agents" might be behind the killing. He said that Modi government wanted to revive the Ikhwan era in Kashmir and the spate of killings by so-called unidentified men was "part of this nefarious design of New Delhi".

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[Published in today's STATE TIMES]