Budgam youth’s killing: In pursuit of an exemplary probe

The public outrage against the killing of a youth as a result of unprovoked and unwanted firing by CRPF men does not deserve a routine probe but an impartial fast track investigation for the purposes of identifying and punishing the guilty keeping in view the fact that routine probes of such civilian killings have always drawn a flak in Kashmir. Announcement of zero tolerance against the killings of paramilitaries, police ranks and army men by none else than home minister of the country should have been followed by an announcement of zero tolerance against civilian killings in Kashmir keeping in view the fact that government should have no less concern for civilian killings. Since experiences of yesteryears show that killings of civilians in several cases drove many educated youth including research scholars from colleges and universities to militant ranks, the measures for stopping occurrence and re-occurrence of civilian killings in Kashmir should become the priority of the government. To ensure that killings of civilians is stopped once for eve, the government will have conduct an exemplary probe for the purposes of exemplary punishment to the guilty in the case of killing of a youth in Kawoosa village of Narbal area in Central Kashmir’s Budgam district. Had the claims of the CRPF not been contradicted from not one but several quarters, the demand for an impartial probe could have been questioned by the government and the CRPF authorities. Since the biggest contradiction has come from the SMHS hospital Srinagar where the youth was declared brought dead, the claims of CRPF by no standards of understandabilities are to be believed. With doctors of SMHS clarifying that the youth was shot in chest and not in shoulder as claimed by CRPF in it’s press release, the issue deserves a serious attention and intervention of the government for the purposes of an impartial judicial probe keeping in view the fact that FIRs and routine probes have always drawn a flak in Kashmir.
In presence of an unaccountable district administration in Budgam and contradictory statements over both the killing of youth at Kawoosa Narbal and as well as vandalisation of shops in Nasrullahpora areas, the only way out is an impartial time bound judicial probe as otherwise occurrence and re-occurrence of civilian killings and police excesses on civilian populations can’t be stopped for stablising the atmosphere of peace and security in Kashmir.
Interestingly the role of police in Budgam district has also come under sharp criticism and condemnation after a video showing policeman vandalizing shops in Nasrullahpora area of same Budgam district went viral on social media days before the youth’s killing at Kawoosa Narbal. Though IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar had in a statement said that videos are being verified and reports will be sought but so far there is no official word about the follow up action by the police. Whatever the arguments and counter arguments of the government and the political leaders the irrefutable fact is that neither an inhouse inquiry nor a magisterial probe would set the trend for an exemplary punishment in case of civilian killings. In presence of an unaccountable district administration in Budgam and contradictory statements over both the killing of youth at Kawoosa Narbal and as well as vandalisation of shops in Nasrullahpora areas, the only way out is an impartial time bound judicial probe as otherwise occurrence and re-occurrence of civilian killings and police excesses on civilian populations can’t be stopped for stablising the atmosphere of peace and security in Kashmir.