Roughing up of soldiers

A NEW and worrying phenomenon has gripped Kashmir. There have been five incidents of soldiers being set upon by mobs in the Valley, including the border district of Kupwara and central Kashmir’s Ganderbal. These soldiers were roughed up by mobs baying for their blood. Kashmir may be on the edge of chaos after the braid-chopping incidents, the origin and continuity of which is rooted in mystery. They, however, became an excuse for mobs to subject soldiers to physical and mental distress. The soldiers have shown extraordinary restraint — any retaliation could have worked to the advantage of pro-Pakistan separatists. The Centre, however, needs to think: How long can such a situation be tolerated?

These incidents expose the hollowness of claims that Kashmir is on the path to recovery. Instead, militancy, once aptly described as “agitational terrorism”, has become “mobocracy”. After a successful anti-terrorism campaign by the Army — killing of 19 top terrorists was no mean feat — the state government has failed to capitalise upon the gains. Lumpen elements have felt emboldened to bait the Army in the streets and then upload the incidents on social media. Separatists have succeeded in integrating the belief that braid-chopping was the handiwork of Indian intelligence agencies in their toxic discourse. The government and the police have behaved as mute spectators with no control over the narrative. Rather, the government may have tacitly aided the separatist agenda by announcing a reward for anyone catching the braid-choppers. Since then, braid-chopping incidents have seen a rise. 

The government has been unable to act as a catalyst in the peace restoration exercise. The killing of a former sarpanch in South Kashmir’s Shopian on Monday is a representative example. Angered villagers managed to kill a Hizb-ul-Mujahideen assassin. However, instead of recognising the valour of the family and ensuring foolproof security, the administration left them to the mercy of a mob the next day that set their home ablaze. The inaction negates the gains made by the Army and shows how the administration needs to ensure better support for those who resist militants.