<p>The situation in the Kashmir Valley has assumed worrying proportions. Eight teenagers have been killed in CRPF firing in Srinagar, Sopore and Anantnag over the past five days; three of them on Tuesday. With mob violence spreading like wildfire, curfew has been clamped in parts of Baramulla, Anantnag and Srinagar. Public anger with the CRPF’s trigger-happy behaviour is escalating. This is understandable to some extent. The CRPF could have acted with more restraint, using tear gas to disperse mobs rather than resorting to gunfire. Firing on a mob, however unruly it might be, is not the best way to prevent a situation from escalating.<br /><br />A part of the problem lies in the CRPF’s style of functioning. It is not a disciplined force. Its personnel are poorly trained and overworked. This has contributed to making the CRPF part of the problem in areas where it is being deployed, rather than a force that will facilitate a solution. In Kashmir, the CRPF is in a particularly tricky situation. Over the last couple of years, it has been confronted by stone-throwing mobs. These stone-pelters have been described by the separatists as ‘non-violent’ protestors. They are not. Stone-pelting has killed people, including a 10-month-old baby, and grievously injured dozens. It has put the CRPF in a quandary. Those they are confronting on the streets of Srinagar and Sopore are not wielding guns. But they are using stones to deadly effect. And this requires the police to respond sternly.<br /><br />What is more, it has become increasingly evident that several of those protesting on the streets of Kashmir today are not ‘innocent civilians’ ventilating their anger against the state. Neither are the protests spontaneous. Rather, these appear to be part of deliberate strategy to provoke the CRPF and several protestors are militants in civilian clothing. With the armed militancy becoming unpopular among the Kashmiri people and under international scrutiny, it is likely that Pakistan’s ISI is seeking to trigger unrest in the Valley again by provoking the CRPF to crackdown on the public. There are striking similarities between the situation in the Valley in 1987-89 and that which exists today. Public disaffection with the Indian state is rising and this could escalate into insurgency again. The CRPF must not allow itself to get provoked by the protestors. Firing at protestors must be avoided.<br /><br /></p>
<p>The situation in the Kashmir Valley has assumed worrying proportions. Eight teenagers have been killed in CRPF firing in Srinagar, Sopore and Anantnag over the past five days; three of them on Tuesday. With mob violence spreading like wildfire, curfew has been clamped in parts of Baramulla, Anantnag and Srinagar. Public anger with the CRPF’s trigger-happy behaviour is escalating. This is understandable to some extent. The CRPF could have acted with more restraint, using tear gas to disperse mobs rather than resorting to gunfire. Firing on a mob, however unruly it might be, is not the best way to prevent a situation from escalating.<br /><br />A part of the problem lies in the CRPF’s style of functioning. It is not a disciplined force. Its personnel are poorly trained and overworked. This has contributed to making the CRPF part of the problem in areas where it is being deployed, rather than a force that will facilitate a solution. In Kashmir, the CRPF is in a particularly tricky situation. Over the last couple of years, it has been confronted by stone-throwing mobs. These stone-pelters have been described by the separatists as ‘non-violent’ protestors. They are not. Stone-pelting has killed people, including a 10-month-old baby, and grievously injured dozens. It has put the CRPF in a quandary. Those they are confronting on the streets of Srinagar and Sopore are not wielding guns. But they are using stones to deadly effect. And this requires the police to respond sternly.<br /><br />What is more, it has become increasingly evident that several of those protesting on the streets of Kashmir today are not ‘innocent civilians’ ventilating their anger against the state. Neither are the protests spontaneous. Rather, these appear to be part of deliberate strategy to provoke the CRPF and several protestors are militants in civilian clothing. With the armed militancy becoming unpopular among the Kashmiri people and under international scrutiny, it is likely that Pakistan’s ISI is seeking to trigger unrest in the Valley again by provoking the CRPF to crackdown on the public. There are striking similarities between the situation in the Valley in 1987-89 and that which exists today. Public disaffection with the Indian state is rising and this could escalate into insurgency again. The CRPF must not allow itself to get provoked by the protestors. Firing at protestors must be avoided.<br /><br /></p>
