Wednesday, August 27, 2008

What were they thinking?

Today as every Indian news channel is recounting the horrors of the 16 hour long hostage drama in Jammu, Jammu is still reeling under the shock of the incident and is warily coming terms to the fact that some of the militants are supposed to be still missing. The valley is maintaining a stoic silence. And I am wondering what some of these people were thinking?

* The BSF personnel who discovered that the fence on the Indo-Pak border had been cut and militants had infiltrated at 12:30 a.m on Tuesday. The fact that they hid in the bushes for 30 hours undiscovered before venturing out, is not being looked upon kindly by the civilians and villagers of the surrounding area.

* The driver of a load carrier auto No. 5843 JK02C at village Gadla in Lalyala area of Kanachak sector.He was Darshan Lal son of Leelu Ram R/o Gadla, Kanachak. Two militants took positions on front seat of the auto and forced Darshan Lal to drive.

* The five or six Gujjars who along with their large milk containers were also sitting in back portion of the auto. One of the militant sat with them in the back. The militants were wearing ‘khaki’ dresses of police which they had brought with them from Pakistan and were carrying assault rifles, ammunition belts, grenades and some other devices.

* The police/army personnel who tried to intercept Darshan Lal's auto carrying the 3 militants and the innocent Gujjars at various check points.

* What did Havildar Netar Singh and Sepoy Yashpal, both from Ist JAK Li, think before they were fired at by the militants at an Army naka outside Kanachak Dak Bungalow.

* Naib Subedar (JCO) VVK Parkashan's last thoughts before he got shot and died on spot at Domana.

* What was Army jawan Sepoy Pal Panion of 61 Field Regiment thinking as he chased the auto on a civilian’s motor-cycle before he too was shot at by the militants and injured seriously.

* A Gujjar Muslim identified as Mohd Shabir tried to grapple with the militant sitting on back portion of the auto in a bid to snatch his weapon. The militant threw him out of the vehicle near Domana and opened firing on him but he survived the shots. What was he thinking?

* At Keran Patian Darshan Lal's auto stopped and the militants hijacked another auto.The auto was being driven by Havildar Vijay Kumar son of Sita Ram R/o Keran Patian, who had come to his house on leave from his place of posting at Jaipur and was driving his father's auto to reach to the main road from where he was scheduled to leave for Himachal Pradesh.
Vijay Kumar categorically refused to give lift to the militants and was shot dead. What was he thinking when he heroically refused to drive and what is his family thinking now?

* The militants, rendered without a vehicle, then started targeting civilians and opened firing on a motor-cycle killing Showkat Hussain son of Saif Ali R/o Khairi, Bantalab. Showkat’s brother, a police constable who was sitting behind on the bike, had a narrow escape in the firing. Another constable, Joginder Singh too survived the firing.

* The militants tried to enter into the house of another Subedar (Retired) JCO Naseeb Singh son of Vidhu Singh but he too resisted the attempt and was gunned down.

* Two labourers, moving in the village, were also shot at by the militants and injured seriously. They have been identified as Uttam Acharya son of George Acharya R/o Assam and Ragha Behlev Rai son of Berin Rai R/o Bihar, both of whom were putting up at Keran Patian. Assam and Bihar... so far away from home to make a honest living. What are they thinking as they struggle to survive.

* 60 year old civilian Sarasa Ram son of Mangi Ram R/o Chinore suffered a heart attack after hearing sound of gun shots during the gunbattle and was rushed to GMC Jammu where he breathed his last.

* The villagers of Keran Patian were sleeping at 6:15 a.m and most of the houses were bolted form inside. The militants tried entering a few houses and failed. The villagers must be thinking what if they had not bolted their doors which is not very unusual in a small town/village, what if....

* Billo Ram's house was unfortunately not bolted form inside as Billo Ram had gone to Government Medical Collge/ Hospital for treatment. He had beenbitten by a snake. A neighbor was present in his house at the time besides Billo Ram's mother, 35 yr. old wife, 4 children, the oldest being 9 and the youngest being 2, his brother-in-law and a tenant who is also a teacher. What did all these people think when they saw these militants barging in early in the morning with AK 47s and hand grenades.

* What went through Billo Ram's mind as he heard the news and rushed back from the hospital. What was he thinking for the 16 hours...the time it took for this hostage drama to end, not knowing whether his family was alive or not.

* What went through the 35 yr. old Sunita's mind, mother to the 4 children as she hid in a room with her brother. How did she explain all this to her children. How did she shush her crying 2 yr. old and pacify her frightened 3 yr. old. I am also wondering what those children ate or did not eat for those 16 hours. It is being reported that when the hostage drama ended Sunita had a gunshot wound on her thigh and she was rushed to the hospital. The children it is said took 2 hours to come out of this shock.

* And finally what went on, through the minds of those Pakistani terrorists who killed so easily and were ready to die so willingly. How had they been brainwashed? had they or their families been promised money, or was it the lure of 'jannat' or the 76 or so virgins awaiting them in heaven?How do you learn to hate so? Really, what were they thinking?

I can only mull over these questions and make conjectures. The questions bothersome and the answers even more difficult.

26 comments:

Piper .. said...

My God!! when did this happen? I have not been reading the news. The german television channels dont show anything!!! God!!!! I cant believe the horror!!

Anonymous said...

I really didn't understand what was their motive. Why they did all this? I have told my mom to lock the doors from now-on! They are smart people and are targetting border fencing in Jammu area.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Well well , like always the judge and the jury is out and the verdict has been given.To start with let me tell u i condemn the fact that happened but wasn't surprised at the events that unfolded... A pattern as usual ..Let me before going any further tell you that "IN ISLAM KILLING OF INNOCENT PPL ...ESPECIALLY EVEN DURING WAR WOMEN AND CHILDREN IS PROHIBITED" if u draw out a statement like getting virgins or jannat it's under special circumstances ...by the even i can say what was promised to PLL WHO DEMOLISHED BABRI MASJID ... WHAT WAS PROMISED TO COMMUNAL FORCES IN GUJARAT RIOTS OR EVEN THE RIOTS TAKING PLACE NOW IN ORISSA.
So please never comment on any religion...in reality we have black sheep everywhere. Now to the reason i wanted to comment on ur writing .I HAVE A FEW POINTS TO MAKE IN REGARDS TO THE TERRORIST ATTACK ...( WHICH I BELIEVE WAS A STAGED EVENT BY THE GOVT. AUTHORITIES AND ARMY AGENCIES ).My points for that reasoning are
1. In an entirely filmy way we come to know that few ppl have come into Indian territory through a set of cut wires....thats an indication enough.
2.the govt cut off the valley and used force there but for jammu ...they needeed something else to stop the samiti from taking out the rally .. what better then the event which took place...purpose solved.
3.what sense does it make that the millitant would go into a house and be holed up..when the jungle was a perfect get away for the moment...either they could wait for more ppl to be in a gathering "considering there motto was to kill" so they could have caused maximium damage.
4. The security forces couldn't stop them at the barbered fence but are good enough to track them down soon ...location wise coz the millitants probably are naive and go out in the open as to suggest we are here .....
there are countless arguments which could be bought forward ...U see the problem is that staged encounters are arranged when it suits the authorities . But the question is are our lives so under valued .After all no one has the right to kill on pretext on whatever..
I condemn once again the killings by these ppl as i muslim i for sure know what islam stands for but i still want to make it clear that for me its a staged act...in the process of trying to stop samiti ...a blame game as always .

Piper .. said...

Shah, the problem with our country is that we have people with such outrageous opinions like you and me. Its a free country and you`re free to have your opinions, no matter how ridiculous or outrageous they may be. The point is - Do Not try and thrust them on the world. Keep them to yourself. You have no idea what you`re talking about, if you cast aspersions on the army and BSF people regarding staging encounters. If you were in the Indian Army(thank god you werent!), you would know of the severely tumultous lives these guys live on the LOC, just so smart-asses like you and me can sit back and comment.I dont even want to begin talking about the communal issue you have raised, because it`ll be a full blown war then. But needless to say, I have opinions that dont match with your opinions. So I`ll keep them to myself.Just as I would appreciate you keeping yours to yourself, rather than publicly posting such inflammatory statements!

Unknown said...

Shah

No verdict has been given...who am I to give any verdict...
as for the reference to the 76 virgins that is what I have seen heard and read in the interviews of many suicide bombers/fidayeen operating in Israel,India, US 9/11,etc.

Now the Babri Masjid issue, if I had been blogging then i would have the same questions for them too...what could drive one to mindleesly do what they did....

The whole thing being staged...I find it difficult to believe...and even if it was ..it only reflects what is becoming of the region and its politics.

Unknown said...

I also believe that it is not an Islamic trait to do what the militants did...and very few actually are true to their religion, be it any religion.
But all the 'jehad' we are witnessing in the world today is done in the name of religion.

Piper .. said...

very well said Chysalis! I, in all my anger, pretty much lost it, i guess! :)

shadab qayoom said...

well....nice analysis....especialy the last sentence ..what were so and so thinking?

but no-one is ready to buy this failed bollywood plot......so many loopholes in the not so well cooked story...and at the end nice finish by the writer typical muslim hater ...have to guts to get this investigated by some other country neutral agencies ?haha..i guess no

m said...

Shah, Seems like you are educated, but your thinking is as bad as those brainwashed morons who kill innocent people all over the world in name of Allah

Jammu IS NOT Pakistan that govt will think of such conspiracies.
Many fanatic Muslims believe that US or Jews destroyed WTC Towers. Going by your comments, I guess you believe that too.

All of your cnspiracy theories, I can dig 1000 holes in them, but I don't think its going to make any difference.

If you condone killing of innocents, why don't you first condone displacement and killings of 4 lakh+ Kashmiri Pandits, 3 Sikh truck drivers in Kashmir, burning of property and grenade attacks on Hindus and Sikhs in Rajouri, Poonch and Kishtwar. 1000s of kashmiris by same terrorists Kashmiri separatists idolise.

Kindly stop reading /watching Kashmiri media bullshit. They are the ones who propogated baltant lies that land transfer in Balatal was to settle Hindus and Kashmiris were dumb enough to beleive them

Unknown said...

ShadabSTAGED ENCOUNTER

Who is sacred of an investigation... If it was staged as you propound I will still be condemning the act...if done by the Indian Govt. or by Hindus does a wrong act become right? Id human life so cheap that its loss can be justified by any argument?

Unknown said...

TO ALL let me begin with few lines i strongly believe in

"Religious identity is no less central to a believers life then racial identity is to other people's life. If u denegrate racism as unacceptable, it should be unacceptable in civilized discourse to denegrate people's religion, coz that there identity. My identity is Muslim and its more important then my ethnic identity"
SO UNLIKE SOME PPL ON THE BLOG I AM NOT HERE TO DO RELIGION BASHING ..ALL HAVE THERE POINTS ..AND PERCEPTIONS...SOME OF MY BEST FRIENDS ARE SIKHS AND HINDUS ..
for ur mr. Piper ist why where my remarks inflammatory ...aren't aware of fake encounters at police levels..so why can't it happen at other levels and i said agencies staged ...alas ur not aware of the terminology....i am aware of what an average solider goes through ..what i was trying to state was if the millitants wanted damage they should have or would have liked to go for maximum ...and why i don't buy this story is can u imagine breaking through a wire when God's knows how many security forces would be gaurding it ...if they would have send infiltrations through mountainoua trek i could understand .. then again according to govt. sources this was the 72nd infiltration bid this year ...yet we never heard of saw nay report on tv of others ..smell a rat .
And what war are u talking about ...i just asked a simple question...what where the ppl who demolished Bbari masjid promised...
The answer is that they are as bad or as millitant as the the 3 killed by the army in jammu.
NOW TO U CHRYSALIS...
let me appricate u on the fact that u would have condemned the act of Babri Masjid demolition or u did..as far of the verdict i was talking about is that statement of virgins promised and jannat..it's dangerous to assime when u don't know..before commenting do u know much about Islam...if u made study been in U.S u should know that post 9/11 the conversion rate to Islam has grown by leaps and bounds.As far Palestine they are ppl fighting aganist oppression..atleast u should know that ...
TO JIADEV
Thanks bro for stated that i seem to be educated ..well coming to ur point that it seems i am brainwashed...then man i would have not been writing ..the case would have been different...i know my geography well....but can u recall a incident in LONDON BOMBINGS ...where in a Brazilian national was shot at and killed terming him a terrorist...IN madrid also there were bombings ... i can give u countless examples and u know whats common ... the suicide bombers die..but I don't know of what material THERE PASSPORTS AND ID'S ARE MADE OF THAT THEY SURVIVE ....similarly in U.S can u expalain how a plain can come so close to PENTAGON ( SUPPOSEDLY THE WORLD'S MOST SECURE AREA)..so these things happen....
Now to ur other question i do condone the displacement of the pandits .. but u gotta realize under which circumstances they moved out ...U CAN'T MOBILIZE SO MANY PPL IN FEW DAYS ...RIGHT ..THEY WERE PROVIDED TRANSPORT AND ASKED TO LEAVE BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE THEN..it's ironic that ppl forget that pandits living in the valley and matter of fact the sikhs are fine and safe ....Talking sbout the Sikhs it brings me to the incident of "Chittisinghpura massacre" where 35 Sikhs where killed...and u know what it turned out to be ...when it was enquired into ...the 5 so called millitants killed where all innocent ppl....as the act itself was just to divert Clinton's mind who was incidentally visiting India.

and to close i can't recall the program on ndtv where a ex BSF officer himself stated that 20 battalions of force where deployed near Babri Masjid , yet the commissioner was order to leave the spot...hence the force was a mere spectator and also he commented on the Gujarat incident...saying he was member of a committee after the riots and he could see the grievances of the muslims ...what he wanted to say was police force should be allowed to act independently not for political moto's..
Comming to ur comments about kashmiri media.... clips from common ppl don't lie.today ppl can capture things on fone ... camera ...millions can't be fools or fooled .it's the ppl who are coming out ....with or without leaders or leadership.

anyways for u to understand Islam better i have a clip... watch it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3jRPDb2LXQ
ALSO watch on ndtv.com a program called 'THE OTHER SIDE OF TERROR" here is clip .http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/videopod/default.aspx?id=
i hope realize that the problem is a grave..

Unknown said...

Shah

I saw the The Other Side of Terror and I was struck by how bad the problem is. And it is not a phenomenon restricted to India. The so called Fidayeen have bad named the whole religion.I am not aware of conversion figures but I personally faced discrimination in the US because I was taken for a Muslim and an Arab.
I am aware of the politics in Palestine but I hope you are also aware of the death and destruction there.

Unknown said...

People coming out in Kashmir..........the same applies to Jammu...its a people's movement.

Unknown said...

TO CHRYSALIS
thanks for watching the clips .. but how ironic u didn't comment on the other clip which i gueess u watched .. yes fidayeen have given a bad name to islam ..but same are the bjp's and vhp and shiv sainiks ....all in the name of religious nationalism...i still don't understnad for what the jammu people needed to come out ....as far u in the land of US ...discrimination ..well the countries history stands on the bloody basis .. u can forget the millions of red indians murdered...and even till the 1960's the discrimination the black ppl faced ..and how ironic ...have u watched rambo movie where in the end in the title's it say " this movie is dedicated to the war heroes of Afghanistan"..aren't the same americans friends with most powerful Muslim countries .... aren't these same ppl who attacked Iraq stating they had WEAPONS OF MAS DESTRUCTION'...well after all they do what suits them and we follow what they say .there is another clip i want u to see and if u want i can provide u with material about Islam...watch this clip ..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zjDX7ezQZ4

Unknown said...

TO JAIDEV ...
u said that don't believe in the kashmiri media ... here by i have clips for all and u to see from national and international media .. watch them ....i intend to tell u and all kashmir will survive ... how i wish jammu hadn't played into the hands of BJP.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNM92scQJNg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxCPJQKjge8&watch_response

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-elc3s14_Og&watch_response

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vM3TE9o0fo4

http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=47_JRJBxwFo&feature=related

i have numerous recordings but u needed some for now,.....

Unknown said...

Knock Knock ....
no one has answered to what i said or wrote ... i am wondering why ??

Unknown said...

Shah

I just saw parts ofthe clip you sent. Well I have never questioned Islam. I have not studied Islam and hence cannot pass judgement.

I know that there are Hindu fundamentlists but they too are those who do not understand Hinduism and have twisted it to suit their needs.

I just dont get this... talking about the militant nature of some faiths be it Islam or Hinduism or Christanity...how does it mean defaming a faith.....if you talk about Babu Bajrangi/Modi/VHP/RSS it is relevant and punishable by the highest degree but I am secure enough to know and understand that it does not defame my faith...it is some people who choose to not follow the faith in its true form...

I beleive the same should go for you..........

Unknown said...

chrysalis

thats exactly what i meant ...if u don't know don't comment...but alas we do that more often....well for me if the BJP comes to power at the cemtre Indian's would have given there verdict ..then i believe nothing needs to be said ..

Unknown said...

Shah

My comment were restricted to the so called 'Jehad'and the 'fidayeens' blowing themselves and lot and many more... as witnessed world wide...not Islam.
Why don't you address why is that happening?

Unknown said...

Sunday, August 31, 2008
THE JAMMU ENCOUNTER. A REALITY OR A REALITY SHOW
What I am going to write is certainly going to riase some eyebrows.
I would like to comment about the encounter in Jammu which was hogging the news for the whole day. It was all a stage managed show by the government agencies and my analysis is penned underneath.
THE OBJECTIVE.
1. Postponement of the rally by AYSS by spreading the news that militants are going to strike in the rally.
2. By preventing the news about the atrocities being perpetuated by the uniformed terrorists in Kashmir side like beating of a pregnant female by CRPF Rouges near hyderpora being aired.
3. Whipping up the passions in the rest of India for the brave Indian soldiers.

ANALYSIS.
Militants manage to enter the border near Kanachak. What was the BSF doing? Must have fallen asleep after taking the daily 2 OZ dose of liquor......
The videos showed the wire was cut on the inner ring only from the Indian side. Did the militant manage to cross the outer ring without cutting it.
There is a three tier security ring for 5 KMS...... FOR 5 kms. What were the forces on duty doing there?
The Militants manage to reach the Jammu city outskirts within 24 hours. They must be really superhuman. Not being spotted by anyone. Not taking food at any place. Did they use a helicopter or a fast car/jeep or they did get inspiration from Olympics.
After 30 hours of continuous travelling they decide to strike in Mishriwalla. Why? If the objective was to target the rally why did they change the plan? If we believe that they were invisible in POLICE UNIFORM (here even the I cards of police force are checked) and were managing to cross all the Nakas what made them change the plan. At 5 AM they catch hold of the auto....... GOD DID THEY FIND NOTHING FASTER? They fire at at a naka and then enter the house. The house which was not abutting a road but, inside a mohalla? WHY DID NONE OF THE NEIGHBOURS SEE THEM? A house where the owner has left early. (Of course they knew it that he is not there). As per NDTV reporter the number of militants was three. This was reported by the auto driver...... BUT THE AUTO DRIVER WAS ALREADY DEAD. How did he report it?
Now the encounter..... very conveniently filmed for the TV audience. Brave reporting. Reality TV at its best.
8.30..... The first militant killed. How? ...... He comes out to get shot......... Study the visuals carefully. He is pushed from the room into the open and is fired upon from inside. YES FROM INSIDE COZ YOU CAN SEE THE ARM OF ANOTHER PERSON IN THE WINDOW. ON THE ROOF ARE ARMY PEOPLE. What were they doing there? They fired in unison 4-5 minutes after the person was already shot. Could they not throw smoke bombs and flush out the others or bore the roof from above. Was it justified to prolong the encounter for so long. OF COURSE COZ THE RALLY WAS AT 4 PM
The Militant decides to provide the interview to news channels. God He is alone He is trapped and yet he is so naive as to provide the details to the news channels. It has been 40 hours since he has crossed the border without sleep, food or rest and he has the strength to talk, fire and at the same time intimidate the Hostages. WAS HE AN ALIEN OR A SUPERMAN?
In any hostage crises when the abductor notices that he has failed the first thing he does is THAT he kills the Hostages. Read any good novel regarding hostage crisis. FOR 19-20 hours it did not dawn on the militants to kill the hostages?????????. God They looked as fresh as a Daisy.
The Bodies... It was shown that bodies were retrieved by winching them up at 7 pm. HOW was the rope applied to the body. Was the militant sleeping at that time. As per the news he was still firing but of course the brave INDIAN jawans are bullet proof. What about RIGOR MORTIS? which takes place after 12-15 hours. THE BODIES WERE STIFF AT 7 only. THE RIGOR MORTIS MUST HAVE SET IN EARLY.
IN Kashmir when the militants get trapped. THE ARMY BLASTS THE HOUSE AND THE ADJOINING 10 more even if there are children or females in them. IN JAMMU THEY DO NOT EVEN TRY TO CUT THE ROOF OF THE ROOM IN WHICH THE SUPPOSED MILITANTS ARE.
I hope the readers are able to see through the tactics of MR NARAYANAN who has given the plan to curb the agitation in THE DIVIDED STATE OF J AND K .
http://kashmir-burning.blogspot.com/
taken from

Unknown said...

Of fake encounters and exhumed bodies
Disappearing the disappeared in J&K

-- By Uma Chakravarti, April 2007

The new year has uncovered a chilling account of the ‘disappearing’ of the bodies of those killed in fake encounters by the J&K police in Kashmir. The facts, as reported in The Indian Express, make for a bizarre narrative not of mistaken identities, nor of the usual sanitized portrayal of innocents killed as a sad but inevitable aspect of ‘collateral damage’ in a conflict zone, but of deliberate acts of murdering ordinary people, dumping their bodies and then mercenarily using these bodies. The victims are chosen because they are poor - labourers, carpenters, street vendors - and occupy the margins of society, which makes them easier to get rid off without being immediately noticed.

The collaborators in these killings have been the state police and the nation-state’s armed forces: the Rashtriya Rifles and the CRPF; in some cases, the infamous Special Operations Group participates, a body which functions as a law unto itself and was created precisely to function in an extra-judicial fashion. Then, the collaborators file false FIR's, choose names and identities for the dead - who are, of course, always ‘Pakistani militants’ from across the border - and then, like vultures feasting upon the dead, pick up the usable remnants of these poor men and brazenly claim cash rewards, awards and promotions for their acts of ‘heroism’. This is after having themselves conducted these fake encounters to ‘please’ their superiors, implying that the superiors are pleased when encounters are conducted and people killed. When ‘real’ encounters do take place, the arms seized by the security forces are not deposited and registered. They are siphoned away and illegally kept by them as part of an arms racket. These may be planted on the persons of the dead in fake encounters, in order to prove that the dead were dangerous militants who needed to be killed because they were armed!

Along with this narrative that can be pieced together from news reports is a poignant parallel narrative: of families searching for their missing sons/brothers/fathers over 52 days or a hundred days or even for as long as 16 years!

While the families desperately search for their relatives, they are asked by the police - the very police that have killed those who have disappeared - to pay for the investigations they promise to launch, to make more money on their kills. A hardened state does not inform families about their missing relatives even when they know where those reported missing are - in graves that they have dug for them. When the deeds of the security forces are unexpectedly uncovered and bodies exhumed, families congregate hoping that these are not of their loved ones so that they can continue to hope for the return of the missing, and finally weep over the exhumed bodies; little children are produced to collect samples for conducting DNA tests to make sure who the dead man really is.

A couple of cops may be suspended, some statements made on the floor of the assembly, the guilty will be punished, we are told (but ‘terrorists’ will not be spared, we are also told) and then everything returns to ‘normal’. The media drops the matter and the little attention shown to critical questions about the rule of law, to the arrogation of impunity by the state instead of state accountability and responsibility in a democracy, is successfully erased, a process in which the leading intelligentsia writing for the media play a key role, by deflecting the attention away from the outrage that sections of the civil society outside of J&K could and should feel at the outrageous acts in J&K. The deflection, in this instance, has been achieved by casting the killings in Ganderbal as an aberration, as ‘acts of rogue police, participants in a rogue cell who were driven to these acts for professional advancement’ (The Hindu, 4.2.07).

But the key political context to these killings, the unchallenged authority enjoyed by the state forces under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), is never addressed. This is how all the killings are done and the evidence disappeared, by the combined action of the police and the security forces, both of whom cannot then be affected by messy judicial proceedings. The killings at Ganderbal may have been exposed, but they hide the larger issues of the unchecked power granted to the state by the application of extraordinary laws and the wages of that unbridled military control which are paid by the ordinary people of Kashmir.

The phenomenon of large numbers of missing persons has been highlighted by the relatives of the disappeared who have come together as the Association of the Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) and human rights activists opposing violations by the security forces. Over the years, many petitions have been submitted, both to the authorities in J&K and in Delhi with absolutely no response by the state. The petition to the PM in November 2005 did not even elicit an acknowledgement, let alone any action. Significantly, once the mass cremations in Punjab were uncovered and legal proceedings initiated at the instance of the Supreme Court, state authorities should have been alerted as to where many of the missing in J&K could be - in graves. That this would be part of systematic action by security forces within Kashmir was clear from the exhumed bodies of so-called ‘terrorists’ killed in an encounter following Chittisingpora, actually those of ordinary villagers, which the state authorities had gone to huge lengths to hide by switching the DNA samples.

Why, then, should anyone be surprised at the Ganderbal killings? And why should one think that these are acts of a rogue police? After all, the fact that the killed were dubbed ‘Pakistani militants’ and provided with weapons to make the fake encounters look like ‘real’ ones is not simply a reflection of the ingenuity or creative genius of the police. The security forces know that no questions are asked if the killed are non-Kashmiri or ‘Pakistani militants’ and so the encounters do not have to be explained. The state itself needs such killings to show to the world that militancy is alive, as well as to keep the fires of national hatred stoked; most importantly, such killings achieve the creation of a hyper-nationalist civil society (led by the intelligentsia) that legitimizes the actions of the Indian state in J&K.

Thus, it is now common practice to attack human rights groups rather than the state for its human rights violations, to debate the numbers of disappeared, to suggest that we are nowhere as bad as Pinochet (that is an overblown comparison, we are told, that merely helps to valorize human rights activists [The Hindu 6.2.07]). Instead, we need to look at the evidence before us and recognize that the fundamental problem before civil society in a democracy is that the security forces believe that they have the license to kill under the AFSPA and the government turns a blind eye. In contrast, the sanction of the Home Ministry is required before proceeding against the Armed Forces and that sanction, though sought time and again, never comes.

Consequently, relatives of the disappeared have been knocking at every door since 1990, including the judiciary, asking them to locate the missing, to no effect; the judiciary in J&K has been unable to provide any relief as the accused units of the armed forces refuse to appear before the inquiry judge appointed by the High Court, refuse to even give answers in writing, and object vehemently to inquiry reports that hold them responsible for any disappearance . For tactical reasons, every now and again the security forces conduct a court martial in carefully chosen cases so that the free rein of the AFSPA can continue without challenge under the claim that they do have a system of accountability. Asking questions about the army is easily dubbed as unpatriotic and anti-national, and disappearances are normalized under the inevitability of collateral damage in a state dealing with insurgency.

However, whatever we know about Ganderbal shows up the falsity and the hollowness of the very concept of ‘collateral damage’. What we see is the random killing of the people of Kashmir, the summary execution of chosen victims in staged encounters. It is, therefore, time to take note of missing persons in Kashmir. We have been informed now that one policeman alone has been responsible for two dozen fake encounters; if this is the fate of the ordinary Kashmiri, one can imagine what would be the nature of human rights abuses perpetrated upon those who are even remotely suspect. They would most certainly be killed straightaway, without trials or criminal procedures. This is absolutely not ‘collateral damage’ but the conscious acts of a state that knows it is above the law—in short, the acts of a rogue state, not a rogue police.

If the Indian state is not to go down in history as a rogue state, Ganderbal must lead to the appointment of a Commission of Enquiry into the missing in Kashmir. Both internationally, and closer home in south Asia, commissions of enquiry have been appointed to look into the missing, to indict those responsible for killings and to pinpoint the lack of structures of democratic governance that make such killings possible. We need to do the same in Jammu and Kashmir. We would do well to remember that the demand for such a commission has come from the APDP which is among the longest non-violent struggles in Kashmir for state accountability and the rule of law. If the Indian state does not do so forthwith, what women in the APDP say about the Indian state will hold forever: at a public meeting in Delhi in August 2005, one woman characterized the Rashtriya Rifles as an ‘eater’ of human beings; another said with tired resignation ‘Yahan court ka rule nahi chalta, army ka rule chalta hai.’

We would also be failing the very fundamentals of democracy if we have neither the rule of law nor judicial remedy, both of which are missing in J&K. It is not enough to have a few inconsequential punishments when the armed forces are caught out—there is an entire chain of command and a vicious structure in place that lead to Ganderbal; the accidental discovery of buried bodies in Kashmir must lead to an acknowledgement by us all of the genocidal state in J&K. If the state government has now acknowledged that 1017 people are missing in Kashmir, let us know where they are; if we have a right to know where a particular file is under the Right to Information Act, surely we have a right to know where 1017 human beings in Jammu & Kashmir are: if not, we will presume, on the basis of the evidence that Ganderbal has provided, that they are in graves dug for them by the Indian state, graves where Indian democracy also lies buried.
http://www.disappearancesinkashmir.org/stories/fake-encounters.html

Unknown said...

Kashmir's extra-judicial killings

The body is exhumed of a carpenter - seven police are accused of killing him
A young Indian soldier recently stationed in Kashmir reflects on the controversial issue of 'fake encounter' killings - where the security forces are alleged to carry out extra-judicial killings while claiming they were caught up in gun battles with militants.
Since he gave these views to the BBC's Urdu service, seven policemen have been charged with murder in connection with the death of a carpenter that he refers to.





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I heard that there have been some 'fake encounter' killings in Ganderbal [near the summer capital, Srinagar].

It's not that I was not aware of the fact that these things happen, but somehow the number disturbed me.

Apparently the security forces are being held responsible, and they have probably even accepted responsibility.

Some of the people who are part of the security forces are Kashmiris, some of them are even surrendered militants who fought the army at one time. I was appalled, and at the same time very sad.

The question is, why would anybody want to kill a poor carpenter? I mean how harmful can he be? The answer is so obvious that I was at first surprised and then angry at my own naivety.

The answer is the system.

'Tough mercenaries'

The system in the Kashmir valley has become such that "kills" by so-called security forces are associated with medals, monetary benefits, promotions and a host of other perks.


Militants are tough adversaries

So any organisation getting or registering more "kills" reaps the benefits.

Now, to kill a seasoned militant these days is difficult, because these guys are mercenaries and are tough.

So some elements within the security forces apparently do the next easiest thing: pick up an innocent man from the street and get him killed somewhere else.

And the saddest part about the whole thing is that even Kashmiris themselves are doing this to their own people.

Suddenly everything becomes a blur. It becomes unclear who the real enemy is. I had come to the valley with naive ideas of being able to make a difference, but in reality I can only influence not more than 10 people.

'Dying for a cause'

And then something like this happens, and there are villagers and more villagers protesting on the street, asking for freedom from this kind of oppression.

Obviously they will protest. Anybody would.


A solution to the suffering looks a long way off

Even if there is no solution in sight one cannot just go and pick up people from the street and kill them. And if they do this there will be never be any solution.

I had dear friends who had nothing to do with the Kashmir problem, who were from places far away from here, who were soldiers, who died here believing they were dying for a cause because they were told so.

But now I realise they do not really want to solve the whole issue.

The big game being played here is that of money. Money being pumped in by Pakistan to wage the war and money from India to conquer it.

And as long as there is a war going on in the valley there will be unaccounted money and people to make good use of it.

I realise that we are just pawns in this game of dirty politics. And I suddenly feel small... very small.

The soldier wished to remain anonymous.

for reference
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6367917.stm

Unknown said...

and if u want to have a further read ... the links provided are below..
http://etalaat.com/english/Dimensions/1531.html

http://www.amnestyusa.org/annualreport.php?id=ar&yr=2008&c=IND

http://www.alde.eu/fileadmin/files/plenary_session/2008/July/2008-AFET_-0088-01-EN.pdf

http://www.amnesty.org/en/appeals-for-action/thousands-lost-kashmir-mass-graves

http://www.disappearancesinkashmir.org/index.html

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/infopress_page/015-33879-189-07-28-902-20080709IPR33878-07-07-2008-2008-false/default_nl.htm

Unknown said...

Shah

I am one who is not denying the HR violations in Kahsmir....so you dont have to prove anything....I want immediate de militarization

Unknown said...

CHRYSALIS

how ironic u write human rights violations as (Hr).now thanks for accepting the fact.de militarization do u think thats gonna happen and how will that change things..it's not about proving things ....as it is presenting facts