Though Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) set for police, paramilitaries and army during operations against militants should have been respected by the people in uniform to show that they not only talk about restraint but mean it even when it comes to fighting bullets on encounter sites and responding to attacks from the militants but unfortunately the manhandling of journalists at Fateh Kadal encounter site in Srinagar and the beating of civilians in Trichal Pulwama in the aftermath of an IED blast shows disrespect to Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). Photojournalists taking snap shots and visuals of a gunfight are not committing any crime but carrying out a professional duty to keep people updated on the situation and similarly beating innocent civilians and vandalizing their properties is an indefensible offence which should have been avoided by the government forces beating drums on restraint and respect to Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). At least the government should taken disciplinary action against those responsible for thrashing journalist at Fateh Kadal Srinagar but ironically the government neither ordered any inquiry not bothered to convey its regrets to the media fraternity for the indefensible offence of the government forces. For last more than a decade the successive governments in Jammu & Kashmir talks much about the implementation of Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) at places but when it comes to action against the violators of standard operating procedure (SOP) the authorities controlling police and paramilitaries defend the indefensible offence of the accused on one pretext or the other and for one reason or the other. Governor Satya Pal Malik has in one of his recent interviews said that militants firing bullets on government forces can’t be offered bouquets but can governor Malik explain to the people of Kashmir that should innocents offer bouquets to policemen and paramilitary CRPF men or throw stones on them when they thrash innocents and vandalise their properties in the aftermath of a militant attack.
One or couple of disciplinary actions against police and paramilitary men for violating Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) can set the trend for respect to restraint by the people in uniform as otherwise Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has become a good word for defending the indefensible offences committed by the people in uniform.
By all standards of understand abilities the people at the helm have to understand the compulsions of a conflict situation and government forces working under a chain of command have to show respect to the restraint which is the only way to lessen the chances of collateral damage to the civilian population in the aftermath of a militant attack or killing of a civilian. One or couple of disciplinary actions against police and paramilitary men for violating Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) can set the trend for respect to restraint by the people in uniform as otherwise Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has become a good word for defending the indefensible offences committed by the people in uniform. The violation of Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) by government forces increases the ever increasing gapes of alienation in Kashmir and so restraint only can bridge the gapes of alienation with the people at grass roots.
