Though the appointment of a political governor was expected to open doors of political engagement and political reconciliation but during last five months of governor’s rule under Satya Pal Malik the people have seen this troubled state into yet another worst phase of political chaos and civilian killings. Now when the six months of governor’s rule have ended the five months of Governor’s rule under Governor Satya Pal Malik are being viewed with contempt on both the law and order and as well as political fronts. Two bloody days one in October and the other in November this year saw 13 civilians falling to bullets and pellets of the government forces in Kulgam and Pulwama districts of South Kashmir but the government under the command and control of Governor Satya Pal Malik did not even bother to order even a simple magisterial inquiry to dig out the causes of blast in Kulgam and firing on civilians in Pulwama. In case of the Kulgam blast police said that the cause of the blast which resulted in the killing of six civilians was the movement of general public near some explosive material at the gunfight site but the locals alleged that explosive material was kept by government forces at the gunfight site. Keeping in view the contradictions in the statements of the locals and the police over the factual position about the blast in Kulgam the probe especially by a sitting or retired district judge could have satisfied the victim families who wanted justice to prevail. Not even a simple magisterial inquiry was ordered by the governor’s administration’ despite a vehement demand for a probe by almost all the mainstream political parties. In less than two months after the Kulgam blast indiscriminate firing on the civilians in Sirnoo village of Pulwama district is yet another severe blow to the claims of governor’s administration under Satya Pal Malik on the claims of restraint through Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
Unwanted decisions which should have been left for the next popular government have destroyed the impartial neutrality of the highest constitutional office of the state and Governor by virtue of his controversial actions has brought into disrepute the institutional neutrality of the Governor’s house much popularly called Raj Bhavan.
Now the governor’s administration has simply asked divisional commissioner Kashmir to look into the causes of the firing and killing of civilians instead of ordering an impartial judicial probe into the incident to . Under fire from all quarters over the unprecedented rise in civilian killings the governor’s administration is taking controversial decisions intensifying the already prevailing political chaos gripping the state. The speculations about governor mulling the option of granting division status this month triggered the demands for division status to Chenab Valley and Pir Panchal areas in Jammu from PDP one of the two largest regional mainstream political parties in the state and sanction of a separate university for Ladhak division triggered a similar demand from Kargil with a call for shutdown . Unwanted decisions which should have been left for the next popular government have destroyed the impartial neutrality of the highest constitutional office of the state and Governor by virtue of his controversial actions has brought into disrepute the institutional neutrality of the Governor’s house much popularly called Raj Bhavan.
