SF involved in killing of innocents will be punished: Mehbooba

CM asks police to try to bring local militants home, not kill
CM asks police to try to bring local militants home, not kill

SRINAGAR:  Acknowledging that some mistakes were made during the current unrest that has left 86 civilians dead and over 10,000 others injured since July 9 in Kashmir, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said she would make sure that security force personnel responsible for killing of innocent people, including a lecturer in Khrew, an ATM guard and young Junaid, are punished.

“A small kid Junaid was killed? He had already left? I spoke to Union Home Minister (Rajnath Singh) about it and want the personnel responsible for the killing to be punished,” Ms Mehbooba said at the Police Commemoration Day Parade here today.

“Or the lecturer, who was killed? the ATM security guard who was killed. There are many things which should not have happened, I acknowledging that,” she said.

She said she will make sure that all accused personnel will be punished for such incidents. “If someone from a family makes a mistake, he has to be punished to save the entire family and I’m very serious about it,” Ms Mehbooba said.

Meanwhile, amid unrest that has left 86 civilians dead and over 10,000 others injured in security force action since July 9, the Chief Minister said that force have to do parenting rather than policing to help the youth who have been provoked by people with vested interest to protest violently on the streets.

Ms Mehbooba also sought help from security forces so that pellet guns get banned in Kashmir valley.

“I want to ban pellet guns but it is possible only if you people (security forces) support the government. Our children are always used as shields. We can’t force someone to talk by throwing stones on them. If we need a dialogue, we have to stop militancy,” she said. (agencies)