‘Had a kid gone to buy toffee from Army camp?’

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, August 25

Hinting at tough action against “troublemakers”, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today lost her cool and said no comparison should be made between the present unrest and the 2010 situation.

“Whatever happened in 2010 had a reason. There was an encounter in Machil which was fake where three civilians were killed. There was then the killing of teenager Tufail Matoo in Srinagar. People were angry. This year an encounter took place and three militants were killed. What was the fault of the government? We imposed curfew, but people came out on the roads,” Mehbooba said during a joint press conference with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in Srinagar.

In her first formal press meet after the unrest erupted, the CM said those killed by guns and pellets during the present unrest had not gone to fetch milk or toffees.

“Had a kid gone to buy a toffee from an Army camp? What were children trying to do at the Damhal Hanjipora (Kulgam, south Kashmir) police station, buy milk?” she asked angrily. “The children are being pushed into the fire and used as shields. No solution can be achieved by stone-throwing and attacking security camps. Violence derails the resolution.”

Mehbooba said both the state and Central governments were concerned about the Kashmir situation. “Those getting killed are our children. The Prime Minister also wants to reach out.”

While clarifying her earlier remark of only 5 per cent of the population supporting the current agitation, she said she meant that 95 per cent  wanted a peaceful atmosphere and resolution of issues through the dialogue process.

“Five per cent of the people have hijacked the situation and have made the life of the 95 per cent hell. Law will take action against the 5 per cent and they will not be allowed to turn the lives of the majority into hell,” she said.

She claimed that children and poor youth were being used by “vested interests” and were being “incited” to carry out attack on security camps.

While journalists were still firing a volley of questions, an angry Mehbooba got up and abruptly ended the meet.