Emboldened by police inaction mob trying to storm an army camp shows radicalisation pumped with Saudi money has settled deep into the Kashmir psyche especially with the youth which has been purposely devoid of entertainment and job avenues so that the elements inimical to the peace can keep the fire of unrest on. It has been over nine days the Valley has been in turmoil and there is no effort to reach out to the un-restive population except issuing the ritualistic statement calling for maintaining calm. Has ever appeal for calm brought the expected results? Never. If the State Government machinery is that sincere that no harm should come to the youth of the Valley then it should come out of its ‘silent mode’ and move on to the streets to pacify and win over the affected people. Agreed there could be some instances of violation of freedom of the press but gagging the press has sent a negative message all over especially in the face of electronic media. Why there is no ban on some of the channels which have been airing contents not conducive for the occasion? Till date over 40 people have died and over a thousand security men received injuries in this melee. It looks State Government failed to perceive the impact of the situation while calling for adopting ‘restrain’ mood. But if ‘mainstream’ politicians do not speak to people, if their arguments are not heard patiently to be countered or fleshed out, as the case may be, the calm that eventually obtains will be an illusion. The Valley has been restive for more than a year now. After restricting mobile telephone services, authorities have now snapped the landline connections to curb the violent protests. The fresh curbs come as the local newspapers failed to hit stand for the second day after authorities raided the printing presses of media houses on Friday night. The State Government has also extended the summer vacations for schools and colleges in the Valley by another week. Will all these steps bring the expected results? It is always better to keep the communication channels open.
