Early Times Report
Srinagar, Mar 15: Finally, the Jammu and Kashmir Police has spoken its "Mann Ki Baat" on stone-pelting asking the people of strife-torn Kashmir to introspect on the drawbacks of the street-violence, which has failed to decline during past over 25 years of turmoil.
In a bid to achieve the goal, the police have released posters on "introspection" themed "Zara Sochiye", which sums up the ills of targeting police, and concludes much on the moral: tit-for-tat.
The posters, first of its kind since militancy erupted in the Valley, have appeared on the streets and equally on the social media, to candidly convey that it was "insane to victimize" police for the fault of others, be it; resentment against water or power scarcity, demolition of illegal constructions, or posting of obscene remarks on the booming social-media.
The poster, a copy of which lies with Early Times, poses multiple questions to the readers -ranging from civic issues to crime. "If your locality has no electricity - police comes under stone pelting. If your city has water scarcity, police comes under stone pelting. If corporation demolishes illegal constructions, police comes under stone pelting.
If someone dies in road mishap, police comes under stone pelting. If someone posts obscene remarks on Watsapp, police comes under stone pelting. If friends kill a friend, police comes under stone pelting," the police observed.
Subsequently it ask connected-questions like: "Did police snap your power supplies? Did police snap the water supplies, or was police responsible for death of a man in road mishap?"
With the obvious reply to the questions being a big "No", the police asks another simple question: Then why police alone is the victim of public annoyance all the times?
Subsequently, the police asks why the men-in-Khaki be taken as oppressor when it turns inevitable for them to use force to contain the protests? "Given the conditions in which police works, why should it be taken as oppressor when, it uses force like lahti charge or teargas shelling on miscreants, only to maintain the law and order?" the police asks adding "Change your outlook, and respect the law." "Your police is with you, always!"
The online community has largely appreciated the development terming it as "Mann Ki Baat" from the khaki ranks.
"This is really good to make people introspect over stone pelting. Otherwise, also no sane person will consider it right to bash police for no fault of theirs," posted a businessman on his Facebook wall.
Sources said the poster is like an inspiration from the "Being Human" campaign, for which superstar Salman Khan is the brand ambassador. "It's much on the lines of Salman Khan's Being Human campaign," the sources said.
It is for the second time within a month, that the police has spoken straight to the people of Kashmir. On February 18, the police released a formal advisory which said: Civilians residing within the radius of two Kms of an encounter site should stay inside their homes and make sure their children are indoors too.
The Army, on the other hand, on March 10 cautioned that it would use force if anti-India crowds hinder its counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir.
"In case a crowd takes law in its hands and threatens life and property, security forces will be compelled to initiate appropriate action to counter it," the Army said in a handout issued here to explain a recent incident in which two Kashmiri youth were injured in troops' firing in Aishmuqam area of southern Anantnag district. |
