Separatists behind stone pelting incidents: Omar - Politics - Political News - ibnlive
n Jammu and Kashmir an innocent civilian, Shafiq Ahmad Sheikh, was stoned to death during an incident of stone pelting. The man was allegedly killed by supporters of hardline separatist and Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani who was looking to enforce a bandh call.
CNN-IBN grilled J-K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah who said that the Valley's separatist now have blood on their hands.
CNN-IBN: You have blamed Syed Ali Shah Geelani for the stone pelting death today. So you still think it's the separatists who are orchestrating the stone-throwing protests to keep the pot boiling? Are you saying that stone pelters are incited by the separatists? Or is that you way of discrediting the separatists?
Omar Abdullah: I can show them the effects of stone pelting on innocent people. The death of a 10-day-old baby in Baramulla and the death of a 40-year-old man in Srinagar are all the fallout of their actions for which nobody else seems to want take responsibility.
CNN-IBN: Your government has begun a crackdown on stone pelters and arrested 419 people between February and March. Many have been slapped with the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA). Under PSA a person can be detained for upto two years with no reason being given for the detainment. In fact on March 19, the J-K High Court stayed the execution of PSA against a minor booked for stone pelting. Aren't you misusing the law?
Omar Abdullah: I am not happy using the laws I have to take recourse to. I wouldn't have to if you didn't have people like Syed Ali Shah Geelani orchestrating these things and the PDP seeking to justify them. And most of the people who we pick up from time to time as a result of these stone pelting incidents are actually released pretty soon. It is only the worst offenders and the ring leaders of these stone pelting gangs that we have to detain under substantive laws otherwise they get bail from the courts almost immediately.
CNN-IBN: Are you saying there are no spontaneous protests, that all the protests are instigated?
Omar Abdullah: The only spontaneous protests are the ones that you see are the ones you see arising out of allegations or incidents of human rights violations. All the other protests are instigated, they are orchestrated and in quite a number of cases they are even paid for.
CNN-IBN: The PDP has accused you of adopting a policy of bullet for stone. According to the PDP young boys are pelting stones because they are angry with the government. How would you respond to this allegation?
Omar Abdullah: The only thing I want to say that if this anger is directed towards the National Conference-Congress coalition government then the next time the stone pelting incident I would like to see the patron and president of the PDP passing through that area and emerging unscathed because if it is a protest directed against me and my government when they pass through there, the people will cheer and applaud them and give them free passage through that area. If they can do that I think they can prove what they are saying. The fact of the matter is they are using incidents like this to make a political capital out of this, because quite honestly they don't have very much else to talk about.
CNN-IBN: But what about the genuine protestors? The danger is that you will brand every protestor as a stone pelter? There is a fear that in the name of dealing with stone pelters you could end up persecuting genuine protestors with genuine grievances?
Omar Abdullah: This is the last government that will do anything to genuine protestors who want to come out and voice their grievances in a democratic and peaceful manner. But I will not apologise for taking action against stone pelters whose actions very often result in death like this. Let's also understand there is a method to the madness of what the separatists and the PDP want. They wan that the stone pelting continues and in the response of the government particularly from the police and the security forces if some body gets injured or killed by a stray bullet or a tear gas shell it gives them further animation to keep them going. So they would like nothing more than like stone pelting to continue and the government to react to it in a heavy handed manner which we are doing our best not to do.
CNN-IBN: Throwing rocks and stones at the police seems to be the favoured mode of protest in Kashmir. Rather than just targeting the stone pelters why not also look at the underlying reasons for stone pelting?
Omar Abdullah: I think it is very important that we understand that what you see in terms of stone pelting is highly localised. It is confined to two-three police stations in downtown Srinagar, old town Sopore and old town Baramulla. So please let's please let's not try and give this impression to everybody that the whole Valley is aflame and that everyone everywhere is throwing stones. It's a handful of people numbering in the hundreds and as I said they are ideologically for whatever reason driven to do this. We are making efforts to reach out to civil society, we are having police-public interactions and melas which has had a salutary effect on the whole situation. We have been organising tours and trips for these people within the state and outside the state to give them a idea of a better future. So I don't think it is fair to accuse the government of only using the PSA or laws. We are also encouraging them to join the mainstream by making it easier for them to gain employment. we have put in measures just so that we can go to the root cause of the problem where it is necessary.
CNN-IBN: CNN-IBN did an investigation that showed that for some stone pelting is a business? Is money being paid to them for their stone-pelting activities? Your government it is said is taking tough action against some businessmen who are said to be funding this industry in the Kashmir Valley?
Omar Abdullah: The industry of stone pelting is very much in our radar. We have in fact been able to identify to a couple of big business houses, one in particular who has used to his network of dealers to route the money through. The case is still under investigation so I don't want to say too much on this case. The sooner we will be able to close this case, I will ensure the law follow its own course.
CNN-IBN: You came to power around 16 months ago. Do you honestly believe you've been able to reduce the sense of anger, alienation among a certain section of Kashmiris, some of whom seem to have turned professional stone pelters?
Omar Abdullah: To a large extent yes. But as I said there are pockets that need to be reached out to particularly in downtown Srinagar, Sopore, old Baramulla and some of the old areas which we will continue to seek to address. I think other than these areas I think we have made quite an impact to reach out to the youngsters as a whole.