of persons who had disappeared ; withdrawal of AFSPA and other special repressive laws and other democratic demands of the people . There are several instances where thousands of people participated in the funeral rallies and meetings of those who were killed in police firings and , sometimes , even of those who were branded as terrorists by the police . There are also occasions when the people came into protest actions demanding the handing over of dead bodies of people who were killed in police firing . In many cases , the demands of the protesters had to be accepted . There are instances when the people had succeeded in forcing the police to dig out the graves to ascertain the nature of killing and the identity of killed ones . On many occasions , the protests continued for days and weeks . There were pitched battles between the protesting people and the armed police . The people defied the death and adopted the forms and methods of protest which they considered effective at the time . There were intervals between one protest and another , but there never was an end to them . A protest which was considered to have died out is , again , bursting out more powerfully at another time .
The 2016 protest is a massive protest action in recent times . The Central armed forces had freely used the pellet guns against the protesting people . The armed police had said that it had become necessary to effectively counter the stone – throwing protesters . Many had died ; lost their eye sights and were seriously wounded by the pellet guns . These had inflicted deep wounds in the bodies as well as the hearts of Kashmir people . They remain as unforgettable and irremovable scars of govt ’ s policy of brutal suppression . Use of pellet guns against the protesting people was widely criticised in India .
May - 2018
The killing of Burhan Wani , a young leader of Hizbul Mujahadeen on July 8 th 2016 , did not evoke a demoralising impact on the Kashmir youth as wished by the Indian Govt . On the contrary , their glamour for him had grown . The Indian Govt . has continued its suppression of Kashmir people in the post-2016 protest period . As the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir has said in the Assembly on Jan 12 th 2018 , in 8 months since Wani ’ s death on July 8 th 2016 , 51 people have died in police firings . 9000 people were injured ( 368 by bullets ; 6221 by pellets ; 4 by pava shells ; 2449 by other means ) in 8 districts . On March 9 th 2018 , the govt . has said that 11000 people were booked by the police for stone pelting after July 8 th , 2016 . These acts of repression together with the govt ’ s persistent attempts to shield the crimes of armed personnel against the people and the continuation of several special repressive laws like AFSPA are enhancing the discontentment , anger and protest of Kashmir people against the Indian rulers . This situation is only pushing the Kashmir people , especially the youth , into desperation and look for more militant forms of protest and struggle .
Certain recent developments in Kashmir are quite disturbing .
On Jan 27 th 2018 , three youth have died in Ganpowra village of Shopian district in a firing by the Officers of 10 Garhwal Rifles unit . It triggered a district wide protest . It compelled Mohammed Mehbooba Mufti to order for a probe into the firing and file a FIR against the Major Aditya Kumar and others of 10 Garhwal Rifles Unit . But Major Aditya Kumar ’ s father had filed a petition in the Supreme Court calling for quashing of the FIR against his son on the plea that his son was just doing his duty when he was firing against the protesting people . Curiously , the
Attorney General of Indian Govt . has admitted in the Court that the Kashmir govt . must not have filed the FIR as it did not get the permission from the Centre for it . The Supreme Court has stayed the legal proceedings against the Major Aditya Kumar . The Chief Justice Dipak Misra has ordered the Jammu-Kashmir Govt . “ not to take coercive steps ” against the soldiers of 10 Garhwal Rifles . On Marach 10 th 2018 , the Indian Govt . told the Supreme Court that there is a total bar on the JK Govt .’ s registration of FIR or the initiation of criminal proceedings in the Shopian firing . It said , the FIR against Aditya Kumar was a “ nullity .” The people ’ s protest and the police firings against the protesting people continued even later .
The acts of atrocities and killings by the Security forces are quite naturally bringing the Kashmir people into the streets in protest . The pressure of this protest will be more strong and direct on the Govt . in Kashmir . So , the Kashmir Govt . has two options to deal with this situation . One : To seek for Centre ’ s permission for criminal proceedings against the personnel of armed forces who had used guns against the protesters . But , as admitted by the Union Defence Minister in Rajya Sabha on Jan 1 , st 2018 , the Union Govt . has received a total of 50 cases ( under the AFSPA , 1990 ) from the Kashmir Govt . for prosecution , but no permission was given . In a situation like this , the Kashmir Govt . will simply wash off its hands . Second : The Kashmir Govt . orders for probe and even files FIR against the Army personnel when these is a firing without waiting for Centre ’ s permission . But once it is contested in a Court , the criminal proceedings will be nullified by the Court as well as the Union Govt . This is what has happened even in the case of Shopian firing on Jan
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