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| Fight against stone pelting | | Embolden police by a special law like AFSPA! | |
Early Times Report
Jammu, June 16: The ancient and historic stones of Kashmir have played a significant role in framing and at times changing the political discourse of the state. The history of stone pelting has been well documented since July 13, 1931. The practice was abandoned for two decades when bullets oozed out from automatic guns. The trend was revived last year and since then the authorities are trying their render this `trusted weapon’ blunt.
Early this year, the Chief Minister consulted the British experts for advice. British trainers, it is believed, gave some `valuable tips’ to the local police. The primitive Kashmiri stones were never too important to evoke a Vilaiti response!
However, the Vilaiti tips did not work. The police were left with no option to invoke section 307 Ranbir Penal Code (RPC). This particular section of RPC deals with attempted murder. According to Sub-divisional police officer Khanyar, 12 persons have been booked under section 307 RPC.
While justifying the action, he said: “There was a huge crowd and they were hell bent to mount fatal attacks on the policemen. “The stone pelters lobbed 2 to 3 kg bricks and stones on the cops with the intention to kill them. Ten policemen including an officer sustained injuries on vital body parts like head and chest.”
Obviously, section 307 also failed to `break the determination’ of the stone pelting youth. Another deadly weapon was used. Scores of youth, believed to be stone pelters, were picked up from various localities of the summer capital during nocturnal raids and detained under Public Safety Act (PSA).
But this did not work as well. A need was felt for change of strategy. The police talked about rehabilitation of unemployed youth. The government seriously considered soft loans and even employment to the stone pelting youth. However, this coaxing and cajoling also went in vain. Stone pelting continued unabated.
The army and the para-military forces have been fighting militancy for the past two decades. According to official sources there are just 750 militants left in the entire state. This means the army has successfully fought militancy. The army has teeth in the form of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). The Army chief recently stated that this law was like a `holy book’ for the armed forces. He further said that it was impossible to fight militancy in Jammu Kashmir and North Eastern States without this legislation.
Special laws work and the world’s fourth biggest army confirms it. Ordinary and preventive detention laws have failed to contain stone pelting. If a police officer is taken to task for smashing the head of a student with a tear smoke shell, how can he uphold security of the state? He will think one hundred times before pulling the trigger. And in such an eventuality, stone pelting will flourish. So, why not have a law like AFSPA to `embolden’ the police force?
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