How To Stop These Hit-And-Run Targeted Killings?
Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.
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By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2022-06-03 07:25:54
About the Author
Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.
View all posts by this Author
In a space
of three days, three persons were killed in targeted killings in Kashmir
proving that since the security forces have not come up with a concrete and
effective plan to stop these killings the miscreants are getting bolder and
striking at will at the so-called 'outsiders' across the state.
In the
first of these latest killings, Rajni Bala, a Dalit school teacher who was
posted in a government school in Kulgam district was killed on May 31. Then, on
June 2, Vijay Kumar Beniwal, a bank manager from Rajasthan was killed in his
office at the Ellaquai Dehati Bank (an associate of SBI) at Kulgam. In a
separate incident, Dilkhush, a brick kiln labourer from Bihar was shot dead at
Magraypora in Chadoora in Budgam district on Thursday evening, in which another
labourer from Punjab was injured.
That these
killings are the handiwork of terrorists who are bent on creating a situation
where all 'outsiders' who are either residing in the valley, are posted there
for work or visit it for business or work is clear. Through these targeted
killings of so-called non-Kashmiris, the terrorists are sending out a clear
message - that these people are not welcome in the valley. It is in a major
part a counter to the change in land laws after the abrogation of Articles 370
and 35A through which restrictions for non-Kashmiris in purchasing land in the
valley have been eased.
The
terrorists want to create a fear psychosis to prevent non-Kashmiris (which also
means non-Muslims as Kashmiri Pandits are also being targeted) from even
thinking about settling in the valley using the eased land laws. They are bent
on keeping the valley the exclusive preserve of Kashmiri Muslims and are using
these terror tactics to scare away potential Hindu settlers. The message being
given out is that if they can be targeted and killed despite the presence of
the security forces in huge numbers, the situation will get worse for them once
the security is reduced.
The J&K
administration and the security agencies are not able to stop these killings
for several reasons. First, no known groups are claiming responsibility.
Second, they are being carried out by two or three persons with small arms
which makes it difficult to detect them. Third, since small groups are carrying
out these killings, not much is known about the planning and informers of
security agencies are not coming up with any information. Fourth, since the
non-Kashmiris are spread out at various locations, it is almost impossible to
track each of them and provide individual security. Lastly, it is always
difficult to prevent such hit-and-run guerrilla tactics by terrorists.
The J&K
administration has announced a new strategy to prevent such killings. It has
decided to keep an eye on local trouble makers since it is clear that such
killings do not need any sophisticated arms or training and these local youths
are being involved to carry them out. Also, last month LG Manoj Sinha had said
that Kashmiri Pandit staffers will be moved to safer districts. While the
former is good strategy as the involvement of local youth or those from neighbouring
areas cannot be ruled out in these killings as terrorists are using foot
soldiers that are not on the radar of the security agencies, the latter is not
as in the face of such hit-and-run tactics, no district can be considered safe.
Unless a few such killings are prevented and the culprits arrested before
carrying out their act through stricter policing, the message will not go down
that the forces have got the measure of these killers. Till then, more such
killings will take place as the killers are getting bolder by the day.
