The Centre’s wariness on Kashmir was on account of the fear of walking into what it considers to be a trap being laid by those inciting violence in the state just when it had appeared to be on the mend. The troops who staged a show of strength — a flag march of sorts — were back to their respective locations within hours. But the sight of the men in olives on the streets of Srinagar revived memories of the troubled eighties when Army had to be deployed to fend off the secessionists.
A day after mob violence and the resultant police firing claimed three more lives in the trouble-torn Kashmir valley, a worried Cabinet Committee on Security backed “maximum crackdown” on the trouble makers. The CCS, which met at a short notice, also decided to send Union home secretary G K Pillai to take stock of the situation and advise the state government which had looked clueless in the face of spiralling violence.
CCS identified the failure of the state government to enforce curfews it declared as a serious concern. “Curfews will be fully enforced till normalcy is restored and the violators would be put behind bars,” said a senior official. The Centre is particularly apprehensive of what may unroll on Friday when thousands congregate in Srinagar and urban centres for prayers. J&K has a history of prayer gatherings being commandeered by rabble rousers, and the use of loudspeakers in mosques on Tuesday to stoke passions and mobilize crowds against security forces has raised fears of the tactic being used again.
The cabinet panel, however, also underlined the need for tact so that security forces don’t end up playing into the hands of agent provocateurs. It felt that the J&K police should lead the effort to stop violence which has caused over a dozen civilian deaths in the past four weeks, and should be extended full assistance.
The Army has been instructed to avoid confrontation with crowds. “The Army will not be used for crowd control and would, in fact, avoid direct confrontation with crowds,” said a senior official.
Source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/JK-Govt-wary-of-playing-into-hands-of-protesters/articleshow/6141202.cms
A day after mob violence and the resultant police firing claimed three more lives in the trouble-torn Kashmir valley, a worried Cabinet Committee on Security backed “maximum crackdown” on the trouble makers. The CCS, which met at a short notice, also decided to send Union home secretary G K Pillai to take stock of the situation and advise the state government which had looked clueless in the face of spiralling violence.
CCS identified the failure of the state government to enforce curfews it declared as a serious concern. “Curfews will be fully enforced till normalcy is restored and the violators would be put behind bars,” said a senior official. The Centre is particularly apprehensive of what may unroll on Friday when thousands congregate in Srinagar and urban centres for prayers. J&K has a history of prayer gatherings being commandeered by rabble rousers, and the use of loudspeakers in mosques on Tuesday to stoke passions and mobilize crowds against security forces has raised fears of the tactic being used again.
The cabinet panel, however, also underlined the need for tact so that security forces don’t end up playing into the hands of agent provocateurs. It felt that the J&K police should lead the effort to stop violence which has caused over a dozen civilian deaths in the past four weeks, and should be extended full assistance.
The Army has been instructed to avoid confrontation with crowds. “The Army will not be used for crowd control and would, in fact, avoid direct confrontation with crowds,” said a senior official.
Source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/JK-Govt-wary-of-playing-into-hands-of-protesters/articleshow/6141202.cms
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