BLUNT BUTCHER
DOUBLE STANDARDS
JAMMU: After the first round of clashes between stone pelters and security forces in different parts of Kashmir, additional para- military troops were rushed to handle the on-ground situation in the aftermath of killing of Hizbul terrorist Burhan Wani.
The security forces were called for area domination duties and to ensure safe corridor for Amarnath pilgrims, stranded in base camps after performing darshan.
The security forces, despite remaining on their toes for a continuous period of more than three days, ensured incident free travel of the pilgrims from Kashmir to Jammu and prevented a major embarrassment to the alliance government as no untoward incident was reported from anywhere along the yatra route.
Now as the dust is settling down and number of clashes between the stone pelters and security forces is declining with each passing day, the Centre has rushed a three member team of eye specialists from AIIMS, New Delhi to assist the team of doctors in the Valley to treat patients affected with pellet injuries.
This was done primarily to reach out to the injured, mostly with injuries in their eyes.
However, the fate of injured security personnel was not known immediately nor any official handout has been issued to the media where the status of injured security personnel has been made public. It is also not clear whether any specialist has been rushed to treat serious injuries suffered by the brave security personnel.
In tune with the double standards of Kashmir-centric politicians, Working President ,National Conference and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had also pointed out through a tweet asking Prime Minister to send a team of doctors to Kashmir valley to treat eye injuries.
Omar had referred to PM’s similar gesture when he had visited temple site after the fire tragedy in Kerala along with burn specialists ahead of Assembly elections in the state.
Ironically, same Omar Abdullah thought differently when it came to dealing with youth involved in incidents of stone pelting on a police station in Jammu.
During the recent incident of desecration of famous Aap Shambu temple in Janipur ,when large number of angry people including youngsters had assembled outside the police station and burnt police buses, Omar Abdullah had demanded stern action against them while sitting cabinet minister Bali Bhagat had ensured their release from the police custody to buy peace in the region. Omar never acknowledged the fact that the sentiments of youth and common masses were hurt when one of their symbols of faith was attacked by a miscreant. He never bothered to reach out to the local people in Jammu through his close aides either to convey the message his party was totally anguished and share the common sentiment of the people hurt by the temple desecration. Sentiments of Jammuites have never mattered to the so-called mainstream players, who keep playing to the gallery when it comes to Kashmir and want to be seen on both sides of the fence. They change their colours like chameleons. When in power, they sing different tunes and once out of it they just indulge in drum beating.
Why is that stone pelters in Kashmir Valley have been granted amnesty every time they burn state property and attack security installations and even run away with rifles from police stations after burning them? The message the State and the Centre is sending out to the young generation in the Valley is not yet clear and confusion persists in the minds of many sane people. What kind of responsibilities our security personnel have towards maintaining law and order in the area of their jurisdiction and what role Head of the Unified Command has to play in tough circumstances like this.
By issuing harsh statements and directing the security forces to exercise restraint against the stone pelting youth if Chief Minister was trying to convey that the security forces were at fault in using the force in that circumstances the Standard Operating Procedures should be redrafted and clearly stated that as long as life of security personnel is not under threat they can safely stand aside and watch open loot of public property and allow them (stone pelters) to burn buses, police stations and loot arms and ammunition to build their own armoury.