Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Mar 22: The Legislative Assembly today witnessed pandemonium twice over alleged disarming of security forces and police in the Kashmir Valley and equipping them with ‘dandhas’ (sticks) only with entire Opposition present in the House staging a walk-out even as the Government admitted that only those cops, who were dealing with law and order problems have been given ‘lathis’ while those engaged in anti-militancy operations were well equipped.
The Congress MLAs also joined the issue and denounced the alleged disarming of security personnel and police making them vulnerable to the militant attacks. Congress MLAs and former Ministers Ghulam Mohammad Saroori and Mohammad Sharief Niaz wanted the Government to immediately withdraw the orders on disarming of the security personnel.
In his statement in the House after the Question Hour, Minister of State for Home Sajjad Kitchloo admitted that directions have been issued (to the security personnel and cops) not to use weapons while dealing with law and order.
“There should be no use of weapons in maintenance of law and order. This has been done to ensure that there were no civilian casualties in dealing with the protests. However, as far as yesterday’s attack on the BSF was concerned, they were equipped with weapons”, Mr Kitchloo said, adding that `no use of weapons’ order was confined to dealing with law and order operations only.
He said when the fidayeen attacked the CRPF camp at Bemina in Srinagar few days back, the para-military personnel were fully armed. The BSF jawans targeted yesterday were also armed, he added and maintained that there was no direction by the Government not to use weapon in attack against the militants. The Government direction was confined the law and order operations only, he asserted.
National Conference leader and former Minister Sheikh Mustafa Kamaal said the DGP has also maintained that there was no change in Standing Operating Procedure (SOP). “If there was any misunderstanding to the members, the copy of the SOP should be placed in the House”, he added.
Not satisfied with the reply of Mr Kitchloo, all MLAs of NPP, JSM and BJP breakaway group were on their feet and staged a walk-out in the House. NPP legislator Balwant Singh Mankotia shouted that the militants were well aware of the Government direction, which was the reason behind spurt in militant attacks on them. “The order has demoralized the security forces”, he added.
Another NC MLA and former Minister Abdul Gani Malik charged the Opposition with only exploiting the issue saying life and property of the citizens have to be protected. He defended the statement of the Minister of State for Home.
Meanwhile, a copy of the order dated March 1, 2013, accessed by the Excelsior issued by the IGP Kashmir said: “as already decided in video conference please ensure that all police/paramilitary personnel deployed for law and order duty under your jurisdiction don’t carry any fire arms/weapons with them. They should only be well equipped in full riot gear.
“Proper drill should be observed in dealing with law and order situation while using gas gun, tear smoke shells. Deployment shouldn’t be made in scattered manner. Violation of these instructions will be viewed seriously. The PCR shall be kept informed with the deployment”.
The order has been addressed to all district police officers of Kashmir Valley, all Commandants of Armed Police/Indian Reserve Police battalion based in Kashmir and all Company Commanders of Law and Order Components with copies to ADGP law and Order, IGP Jammu, IGP Armed, IGP IRP and DIGs of Armed Police and IRP Kashmir.
Mr Mankotia, who read few lines from the order in the Assembly, later told the reporters that the order has endorsed the view point of the opposition that paramilitary and police personnel have been rendered vulnerable to militant attacks with their disarming.
Further, he added, the order was very serious in nature as it was issued when the Assembly was in the session but the House was neither taken into confidence nor any copy of the order was tabled on floor of the Assembly/Council.
Earlier, as soon as the Assembly began proceedings for the day after Thursday’s break, NPP MLAs-Harshdev Singh, Balwant Singh Mankotia and Yashpal Kundal, JSM MLA Ashwani Sharma and legislators of BJP breakaway group including Jagdish Sapolia, Prof Gharu Ram, Durga Dass, Baldev Sharma, Master Lal Chand and Bharat Bushan were on their feet protesting against yesterday’s killing of a BSF jawan Krishen Kalita in Srinagar yesterday.
Referring to the attack, Harshdev Singh charged the Government with disarming the security and police personnel breaking their morale and giving a chance to the militants to strike on them.
“The talks of withdrawal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) has also demoralized the security forces. The lathi-wielding security and police personnel won’t be in a position to take on the well equipped and heavily armed militants. The order on disarming the cops should be withdrawn immediately”, Mr Singh said pointing out that this was third militant attack directed against the security forces by the militants in the past few days.
Jammu State Morcha (JSM) MLA Ashwani Singh said the militant activities have been on the rise in the Kashmir Valley and not only the innocent civilians but the belt forces were being targeted as the Government has demoralized them with its order of disarming them.
“What action the security and police personnel would take against the militants with `dandhas in hands’. This is ridiculous. The militants are killing our jawans, who were unable to counter the attacks with the sticks. The security forces have been discouraged with the disarming order and repeated talks of AFSPA by the Government”, Mr Sharma said, adding “the order has posed a serious threat to security of the country and the State and given a free hand to the militants to strike”.
He said instead of having a strong policy against the militant, the Government was going “soft” on terrorists and making security and police personnel vulnerable to the militant attacks in the Kashmir Valley.
Former Minister of State for Home and NC MLA Nasir Aslam Wani regretted yesterday’s killing of the BSF jawan but said this was not the first incident as the State has been facing such situation for the past 20 years.
“Relating the killing to demand for withdrawal of AFSPA or law and order problem is not good”, Mr Wani said adding that the jawans have not been stopped from retaliating the militant attacks.
“A wrong impression is being created that security and police personnel have been equipped with `dandhas’ only. The Standing Operating Procedure is there under which security forces and police personnel were operating. The `lathis’ were meant for dealing with law and order operations only while in anti-militancy operations, the jawans were equipped with weapons”, he said.
Nasir said they would continue to raise their voice for withdrawal of AFSPA.
Ruling Congress MLAs and former Ministers Ghulam Mohammad Saroori and Mohammad Shari Niaz besides Indu Pawar, Ashok Kumar and Krishen Chander Bhagat were also on their feet supporting demand of the Opposition members on disarming of security and police personnel and demanding that they should be rearmed.
“Who will protect the `dandha’ wielding security and police personnel. They can’t fight the militants empty handed. If such a decision has been taken (to disarm security and police personnel), it should be immediately revoked as it could provoke the militants to attack security personnel”, Mr Niaz said.
He asked the Government to clarify its stand.
As the Opposition members continued to shout, Nasir Aslam Wani said: “we have always been crying that lives of the civilians shouldn’t be lost”. He wanted to know whether the opposition MLAs wanted the cops to kill civilians with weapons.
However, another Congress MLA Ghulam Mohammad Saroori lamented that on one hand the militants were in possession of high grade weapons while on other side the police personnel have been equipped with sticks.
“This is not justified. The Government should immediately withdraw the order of disarming the police personnel”, Mr Saroori said.
Intervening, Speaker Mubarak Gul said they all were saddened with the killings of security forces and civilians.
“Everybody was concerned over the killing. Gun should stop. The Chief Minister (Omar Abdullah) would reply in detail to the concerns expressed by the MLAs during the demands of Home Department scheduled to be taken up on Monday”, Mr Gul said.
On Opposition MLAs’ demand for immediate reply by the Government, the Speaker observed that this was a serious issue and involved policy matter. He said the Government should be given time to reply.
During uproar by the Opposition members, Independent MLA from Langate, Engineer Rashid was also on his feet demanding withdrawal of the AFSPA.
“There was no AFSPA in Mumbai but still the terrorist struck there. The Naxalites are also carrying out the attacks. The AFSPA is in force in Kashmir but the attacks are taking place there”, Mr Rashid said and called for ceasefire and withdrawal of the AFSPA in Kashmir. He regretted the killing of the BSF jawans.
BJP breakaway group MLA Jagdish Raj Sapolia said the Government should make a statement in the House as to what steps it was taking as the security personnel’s killing has witnessed a spurt in the Valley.
The agitated Opposition members took their seats when Minister of State for Home Sajjad Kitchloo said he would make a detailed statement in the House after the Question Hour.
The Question Hour started after uproar of 13 minute.
However, the statement of Mr Kitchloo failed to pacify the Opposition members after the Question hour after which they staged a walk-out.
Speaking to reporters outside the Assembly, Harshdev Singh said the Government order has demoralized the security forces.
“How the security forces could fight militants with batons in their hands? The order is unjustified and should be revoked,” he said and added that the killing of the security personnel have gone up after the order.
JSM MLA Ashwani Sharma strongly opposed the demand for withdrawal of AFSPA saying this would weaken security forces and boost morale of the militants leading to more attacks on security personnel. He said three attacks have taken place on security forces during past few days.
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