What happened in Imam Sahib Shopian Monday evening is really unfortunate, and absolutely uncalled for. The incident was also perfectly avoidable had the concerned Army unit (34 RR) and for that matter the local civil and police administration shown some minimum of common sense and little bit of wisdom. Common sense would obviously have informed them that Army’s choice of both time and venue for holding the Iftaar party were grossly wrong and a sure recipe for the kind of disaster that followed. And wisdom would have restrained them in their response once the situation started turning ugly. But the Army showed neither, and the consequences are there for everyone to see.
On its part the police did say that it has taken cognizance and is investigating to find out as to what has happened. But fact of the matter is that this time around the provocation – though the intended gesture of Iftaar party was very noble one – came from the Army and this is something that remains already proven, and needs no investigations. What was the need and urgency to hold an Iftaar party when everybody from bottom to top in the system knows pretty well the amount of anger and rage in entire south Kashmir? Of course it didn’t require an Einstein to anticipate and foresee as to what would be the public reaction once the Army would go into such a volatile area even if was for holding an Iftaar party for the locals. Making the matters worse and proving yet again the foolish arrogance of the concerned Army unit is the fact that the locals had warned them before hand about it. They had even informed the police and civil administration too, asking them not to allow Army to go for such a MIS-adventure. But of course neither police and civil administration, nor the Army heeded the advice. And as a result of this belligerence four innocent girls ended up wounded with bullet injuries.
See the irony: Army had gone to the area to offer dates and fruits and other eatables to the locals for Iftaar, but ended up pumping bullets into at least four people! Now how does one fix responsibility for this sheer madness and who is it to be blamed on? It cannot be blamed on the local people because they had simply refused to accept the “Army’s kindness” (they are not used to it either!) – and they certainly, like anybody else, reserve the right to accept or reject anything from anybody, including even the government forces. Just because they are living in a conflict zone and are surrounded by a very high concentration of men in olive green does not take away from them their right to decide whether they want to accept Army’s Iftaar gifts or not.
The question that must be asked to the concerned Army unit is what was the need for it to unnecessarily disturb the otherwise restive calm in the area by going for the Iftaar party, and that too when they had been warned against it? Army erred and erred very badly and it must be held responsible for it. Local civil administration and police too should be taken to task for having allowed the Army to do what it did.
In all, it is the government agencies which are to be blamed for the latest tragedy in Shopian. Eying big political dividends on Ramazan ceasefire is OK, but now the government must also show some courage to go against those who have sullied its image yet again in Shopian – and at a time when it was yet to realize and capitalize on those dividends.
