<div>The death of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces has triggered violent protests across the Kashmir Valley. Disaffection with the state and support for militancy, which was rising over the past year, was summarily dismissed by the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) government as well as the security forces as a local phenomenon, one that was restricted to pockets in the state. The geographic spread of the violent anti-India protests over the last three days indicate that anger with the state and its functionaries is far from local; it is sweeping the Valley. Nearly 22 people have been killed and over 200 policemen injured in the violence so far. The specific targeting of state installations by mobs is telling. Police officials have described Wani’s elimination as among their “biggest successes” in recent years. But this appears to be a blunder, especially since there was a better, indeed the legal way to deal with Wani. He should have been arrested and tried in the courts for his crimes. Wani was the ‘poster boy’ of the new militancy and his death, which has become a rallying point for anti-India sentiment, could prompt many youth to pick up arms. Reports in the media suggest that he was caught and then killed. A probe must establish whether this was the case; a 2014 Supreme Court ruling made probes mandatory for all encounter killings.<br /><br />This is a challenging period for the Indian security forces. While they must act to quell violence, their act of using live ammunition against unarmed crowds, even on those engaging in violence, is not the way to go. There are non-lethal means of crowd control, including tear gas and rubber bullets that are highly effective in dispersing mobs and less likely to result in deaths.<br /><br />The violent protests are a wake-up call, which governments in Delhi and Srinagar must heed now. When the People’s Democratic Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party came together to form the J&K government in 2015, it raised hopes as the ‘agenda for the alliance’ had promised “sustained and meaningful dialogue with all internal stakeholders” irrespective of their political leanings and ideologies. But over the past 15 months, the government hasn’t taken even the first step towards an inclusive dialogue. The militancy in Kashmir cannot be addressed only by eliminating militants. There are political issues that underlie the conflict and these need to be addressed if the Centre is serious about calming the Valley. The PDP and the BJP are busy tugging in different directions. They need to prepare a road map for dialogue with key stakeholders in the state. They must call for dialogue now. <br /></div>
<div>The death of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces has triggered violent protests across the Kashmir Valley. Disaffection with the state and support for militancy, which was rising over the past year, was summarily dismissed by the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) government as well as the security forces as a local phenomenon, one that was restricted to pockets in the state. The geographic spread of the violent anti-India protests over the last three days indicate that anger with the state and its functionaries is far from local; it is sweeping the Valley. Nearly 22 people have been killed and over 200 policemen injured in the violence so far. The specific targeting of state installations by mobs is telling. Police officials have described Wani’s elimination as among their “biggest successes” in recent years. But this appears to be a blunder, especially since there was a better, indeed the legal way to deal with Wani. He should have been arrested and tried in the courts for his crimes. Wani was the ‘poster boy’ of the new militancy and his death, which has become a rallying point for anti-India sentiment, could prompt many youth to pick up arms. Reports in the media suggest that he was caught and then killed. A probe must establish whether this was the case; a 2014 Supreme Court ruling made probes mandatory for all encounter killings.<br /><br />This is a challenging period for the Indian security forces. While they must act to quell violence, their act of using live ammunition against unarmed crowds, even on those engaging in violence, is not the way to go. There are non-lethal means of crowd control, including tear gas and rubber bullets that are highly effective in dispersing mobs and less likely to result in deaths.<br /><br />The violent protests are a wake-up call, which governments in Delhi and Srinagar must heed now. When the People’s Democratic Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party came together to form the J&K government in 2015, it raised hopes as the ‘agenda for the alliance’ had promised “sustained and meaningful dialogue with all internal stakeholders” irrespective of their political leanings and ideologies. But over the past 15 months, the government hasn’t taken even the first step towards an inclusive dialogue. The militancy in Kashmir cannot be addressed only by eliminating militants. There are political issues that underlie the conflict and these need to be addressed if the Centre is serious about calming the Valley. The PDP and the BJP are busy tugging in different directions. They need to prepare a road map for dialogue with key stakeholders in the state. They must call for dialogue now. <br /></div>
