Omkar Dattatray
Ah stone pelters are innocent beings as gentle as sheep! They are provoked by the Indian solders is the version of separatist’s and the so called mainstream politicians of Kashmir. The abominable practice of stone pelting has surfaced during the summer turmoil of 2010 when hundreds of buses public and private including school buses were stoned. Stone pelting on anything or anyone representing India is the past time of so called innocent stone pelters. Stone pelting has become a paying job of the school going children who resort to stone pelting on armed forces who guard the private and public buildings and maintain much needed law and order in the Valley. Stone pelters cannot be innocents in any manner and by any standard. Stone pelters are purely stone pelters and not innocents. Stone pelters garner support from the separatist’s and main stream political parties who lose no time in projecting them as heroes in the so called freedom struggle. These stone pelters are funded by Pakistan through Hurriyat Conference and other Separatist outfits. Kashmir centric political parties always defend the stone pelters as being innocent who resort to stone pelting only when provoked. The double standard of Kashmir centric political parties is exposed when they raise hue and cry about the human rights violations of the innocent stone pelters and never utter a word on the killing of disciplined Central and State forces as if these people have no human rights. What a ridiculous thing indeed? The stone pelting has again been in news since the so called innocent boys have pelted stones on army convoy at Ganovpora in Shopian district injuring some 8 army men belonging to 10 Garwal Unit including a JCO. There is petty politics over stone pelting. This petty politics has to be set aside and security forces allowed to do their jobs. Political parties must come together on this sensitive issue and decide the course for the change of perspective of youth of Kashmir. The Separatist’s and their Pakistan’s handlers are worried because the security forces are getting actionable intelligence about terrorists encircling the area and exterminating the terrorists and reducing their number significantly. The separatist’s eulogize the stone pelters and project them as heroes. Youth are tactfully used to throw stones and hurl abuses on the security forces and when disciplined security forces are forced to retaliate and in the process when 2-3 stone pelters die, the anti-India forces make a big issue and resort to processions, strikes and attempt to propagate the concocted stories of oppression.
The stone pelters are not innocent children; they are hired by the ISI agents and are paid handsome amounts. The resistance from stone pelters sometimes helps terrorists to escape which is very unfortunate. Involvement of young children in stone pelting is a dangerous trend as they would become felonious and anti social in the long run. Demonetization has to some extent reduced the stone pelting cases as ready money to stone pelters is not available. Stone pelting has become a routine feature of street protests since the summer of 2008. It has revived with particular intensity after April 2010 when three youths were allegedly killed in an encounter in Machhil. The stone pelters are school and college going students. A stone pelter if dies becomes a martyr and a hero and if survives is rehabilitated and gets a job as well. Amnesty is given to stone pelters and they are rehabilitated as well. The BJP-PDP Government has approved withdrawal of stone pelting cases against 9730 persons. The Government has also recommended giving amnesty to more than 4000 stone pelters. Government is reviewing cases of second time stone pelters as well. All this boosts the morale of stone pelters. The stone pelters must be de-radicalized to help them lead a normal life. But the worrying thing is that they recycle again into stone pelting.
There is politics over stone pelting. The recent Shopian incident in which security forces were forced to resort to firing for self defense on stone pelters has snowballed into major controversy between PDP and BJP. The firing has resulted into killing of three stone pelters. Unfortunately, the State Government has filed FIR at police post Keegam of Shopain police station against 10 Garwal Unit of army naming a JCO Aditya under section 307 conspiracy to murder and section 302 for murder of RPC.
The Junior Commissioned Officer was hit at head by stone pelters and fell unconscious and the mob tried to snatch his service rifle and also tried to lynch him and also damaged some vehicles of the army. The separatists as well as the main stream political parties including ruling ones wanted that the security forces should not have resorted to firing. The security forces have resorted to firing for self defense only when all efforts of defusing the situation failed. The Government is determined to put FIR against army to logical conclusion. The former CM Omar Abdullah demanded CBI probe of the incident of firing of Shopian. It seems that all political parties are hell bent on politicizing the sensitive issue of firing by army in self defense. BJP demands withdrawal of FIR against army but PDP wants to probe the FIR against army. Government has also ordered Magisterial enquiry against firing. All this boils down to the fact that stone pelters are not innocents but indoctrinated beings who spew venom against India and stone Indian forces.
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Courtesy: Daily Excelsior 8/02/2018