Justice Gandhi Commission Report Did CID deliberately overlooked simmering communal tension in Kishtwar?

 VIVEK SHARMA
JAMMU: 2013-Kishtwar riots continue to remind of politico-bureaucratic connivance that put the two sensitive regions of Kashmir and Jammu virtually on eyeball to eyeball situation. That it was a well thought over conspiracy becomes clear by the dodging role of Counter Intelligence Investigation (CID), which, perhaps deliberately, kept well meaning officers of the police and civil hierarchy unaware about the simmering communal tension in the town which claimed three lives, left 80 injured and caused destruction of over 100 establishments, mostly belonging to minority community, as it was free for arsonists.
Commenting over the role of CID, Justice Gandhi Commission has found that every year (in 2013 also) a same ‘secret report’ was being submitted by the organisation ahead of Eid festival. Nothing of the sort had got even mention that engulfed the town into communal frenzy.
After thoroughly examining CID record, the Justice Gandhi Commission found that the letter with regard to Hidyal Chowk incident of 2008 was sent every year to senior officers under sealed covers, marked as most secret, though the contents were known to everybody, that too on 8th August 2013.
“If the police has to arrange more deployment where is the time, as the next day is the Eid day”, pointed out Justice Gandhi Report, adding “It was only a formality to repeat the same letter every year about Hidyal Chowk and no other information as to what is happening in Kishtwar and whether the bad elements had planned any holocaust in Kishtwar.”
The role of CID was not been found up to the mark, says Justice Gandhi Commission Report, adding, “they were totally unaware of any development at Kishtwar as if Kishtwar is not within their jurisdiction.”
“If they had some information, that has not been shared by them with the Commission, such as, poster of Shabir Shah with an appeal to the people to rise and fight for Azadi pasted on the walls of the city and being not only eye and ear but backbone of the Government were totally blank as to what is going to happen”, Report mentions.
“Though the atmosphere was surcharged and grooming two months ahead of Eid festival by different types of rumours and pelting of stones, and it has not disturbed the CID or compelled to think over it as to why it is happening and what could be the repercussions”, says the Report.
It further stated, “The rumours of stone pelting was managed and happening on the houses of the Muslims alone. Not a single incident of stone pelting was noticed on the houses of Hindu community.” “CID should have analysed this aspect as to why such situation is being created while the Eid is approaching and there have to be a good congregation at different places, but no heed at all was paid to collect information and act on that”.
The Report further pointed out that “the staff posted in CID is not perhaps answerable to any body and that there is none above them also to whom they are answerable. The information goes like a letter from one office to another, such as a letter from the lower Tehsil Unit up to the top as if it is letter of approval of budget which needs sanction from competent authority and for its transmission to the executive Police for whom this information is collected to act upon and by the time it reaches them the purpose absolutely gets defeated.”
The Report recalls the incidents that took place on 12th August 2008 and mentions that, “Police had to resort to firing teargas shells to disperse groups belonging to two communities which pelted stones at each other at Kishtwar’s Hidyal Chowk.
The tension erupted when the body of Hurriyat leader Shiekh Abdul Aziz, who was killed in police firing, was laid to rest at Eidgah graveyard in Srinagar. Authorities had clamped curfew in all the ten districts in the Valley and Kishtwar in Jammu region on same day”.
“If CID cannot foresee and collect the secret information of such nature what is use and purpose of communicating to the executive after the episode as to who was stoning which building,” questions Justice Gandhi report, adding, “it can be achieved easily from a source. The work of the CID is to ascertain the under current activities and their show done, analyze them and provide immediately these inputs to the concerned to make them vigilant and take all necessary preventive and corrective measures well in time.”
“The CID could not assess the under current situation which exploded into a holocaust, which raises a finger on the working of their respective units in the field,” opined Justice Gandhi Report
“CID is the backbone of the government, if CID Wing is weak in collecting correct information it can jeopardize the working of the Government and put it into serious dangerous problems. Working of the CID needs to be resurrected and made efficient to achieve and deliver the desired results”, the Report maintained.