Srinagar 12 Mar 2020
Former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik has revealed that the then state chief secretary B. V. R. Subrahmanyam told him on 4 August 2019 that over 1000 people will be killed to abrogate the Article 370.
Malik, who is now governor of Goa, was speaking International Jat Parliament, Vigyan Bhavan on 1 March, and was highlighting his work in the now Union Territory Jammu and Kashmir. The video of his speech is making rounds on social media. “I can safely say today that when the topic of revoking Article 370 came up, I informed my Chief Secretary on the evening of 4 August that tomorrow Article 370 will be revoked, he responded, ‘Sir we will have to kill 1000 people’.”
Article 370, which gave special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir was revoked on 5 August 2019 and the state was downgraded to two Union Territories – Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir.
Malik adds that he questioned the chief secretary over it and he replied that ten people die on Farooq Abdullah’s election, 120 people die on Burhan Wani’s killing. “People will come up to Raj Bhavan, I will bring my stuff here only,” he quotes the chief secy.
“I responded that you don’t need to worry in my five months tenure I have understood their emotions and made them understand that with 250 boys fighting the number second army of world, you can’t take anything. Whatever you have to get, you will get it through dialogue. So, I have created a sense of fatigue among them and I am sure not even single person will come on roads,” he said.
Malik tells the audience that they will be surprised to see that three term chief ministers went to jail and nobody came out for their release, or raise a slogan. The three former chief ministers Omar Abdullah, Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti continue to be in detention.
“He [B. V. R. Subrahmanyam] was terrified and wanted my security to be replaced by the CRPF [Central Reserve Police Force]. I told him if Kashmir police will kill me, it will be an honour for me. Don’t remove Kashmir police from my security. When I was posted in the state, I doubled their martyrdom allowance.”(Postcard Kashmir )
