The Amarnath attack

There could not have been a bigger rebuff to the terrorist attack on Amarnath yatris than the surge in the number of pilgrims visiting the revered shrine in the violence-hit Kashmir Valley. By all accounts, the administration and the security forces had done a splendid job till the attack took place. It is indeed a humongous task to shepherd lakhs of devotees through a difficult terrain amidst a constant overhanging threat of a militant attack. It only required one jigsaw to fall out of place to upset the delicate balance. It happened to be a private bus from Gujarat that was not a part of the escorted convoy nor registered with the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board. It was also moving after 7 pm by when no movement of pilgrims is officially allowed.

While the authorities will doubtless delve into how and why were the standard operating procedures violated, the mantle of hero fell on the bus driver for steering his passengers to safety amidst a hail of gunfire. That he was a Muslim is of anecdotal evidence; for the Amarnath shrine itself is a symbol of Hindu-Muslim syncretism or Kashmiriyat. This latest attack in Kashmir stands out for its villainous purpose of targeting the innocent in order to spark a wider conflagration. The civil society also played a positive role in checking a spillover of emotions. It was upfront in condemning the deaths and held a wake similar to the one in memory of the Muslims lynched recently.

This closing of the ranks between the ideologically disparate sections of the civil society may be the balm the nation requires at this socially divisive juncture. While it is noteworthy that no section of society fell for the trap inherent in the attack on the pilgrims, there is no time to rest on the oars. The ISIS has already arrived in South Asia and will redouble its efforts to connect the Kashmir issue with the larger violent radical Islamist movement. Its neutralisation requires reaching out to the locals to reduce the critical mass of support to insurgency in Kashmir.