Top Pro-India leader says all encounters in Kashmir doubtful

Accusing the state government of turning Kashmir into a police state, the main pro-India opposition party voiced serious doubts on all the encounters which have happened in the state over the past two decades. “Though the fake encounter at Surankote does not come as a surprise, it is shocking for its reported detail. It raises some disturbing questions. Would it have passed as a genuine encounter had the community at Surankote not refused to bury the body? From whom did the arms and ammunition come that were reported as having been seized from the dead ‘terrorist’? Does this not open all encounters to suspicion,” the president of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mehbooba told reporters here. “How is it that the state police is the only agency reporting presence of a permanent contingent of ‘terrorists about to infiltrate’, often contradicting army on this,” she said. On the recent custodial death in Sopore, Mehbooba said, “Action against two constables was delayed till protests spread throughout the valley. This is obviously a cosmetic exercise as constables usually are not used to interrogate suspects. Were they the ones interrogating Nazim Rashid? Were they the only ones in the camp where the victim was tortured to death? Government is clearly shielding the culprits on a day when the Supreme Court recommended hanging of such criminals.” Strongly condemning what she termed as the opening of new frontiers by state police in order to gain quick promotions, medals and money, Mehbooba said Ashok Kumar, the disabled boy had become the newest symbol of state terror victims. Mehbooba said the government had earlier also shown disrespect to the highest court when it publicly declared that its judgment on SPOs was not applicable to Jammu and Kashmir. “Can the Supreme Court’s view on such important issues be dismissed on mere technicalities? The Court order could have helped the state government in convincing the union government for bringing the SPOs into some disciplined form but NC is historically comfortable with such institutions that have no accountability,” she said. Asserting that the situation in the state had once again turned grim, Mehbooba said. “In its bid to create an impression of normalcy and to enforce a superficial calm, the state government seemed to have launched a war against all sections of the society,” she alleged, the J&K had been converted into a police state where judicial decisions were violated and public opinion was muzzled with impunity. She said the government’s ‘calm summer campaign’ had become a thriving business for police and the ruling party. “The government has virtually outsourced governance to police. And in doing so it is continuing to target various classes. Youth are again being arrested wantonly and lots of them are on the run,” she said. “After the last year’s unrest which had affected business, education and every other sector, the society had responded to the crisis of survival and given peace a chance. Not only could we have a good tourist season but an overwhelming turn out at panchayat polls could help create a better atmosphere of peace and security. Why is the opposite happening? First, it is the arrogance and resolve to survive by police and their unchecked methods. Secondly, it is because of inefficiency and misgovernance,” she said. “Traders have raised genuine issues which the government has dismissed with its characteristic arrogance, not even meeting them for discussion. They too alongwith employees are being dealt with through police alone. Why can’t the government wait for a while to let traders shift to computers gradually while its own multi-crore e-governance program is nowhere near taking off. Heavens would not fall,” she added.