A political row has erupted between the PDP and BJP, the two factions of the coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir, over the FIR filed against Army personnel in connection with the deaths of two civilians in Shopian district.
Angry BJP legislators protested in the state Assembly are demanding that the case be withdrawn, but chief minister Mehbooba Mufti is resolute that it would be taken to its logical conclusion.
BJP’s RS Pathania questioned the need to register an FIR in the name of some individuals for such serious offences at such an early stage. He said that an FIR under such serious offences should not have been registered on the very first day.
The dubious stand of the state government on the issue of human rights violations as such becomes murkier with two coalition partners talking in two different tones on every incident. On one hand Chief minister Mehbooba Mufti expressed concern over the killings, while as the elected representative of the BJP, are openly justifying the manner in which the soldiers sought to crush even a slogan and stone with bullets.
While the state government needs to come out clearly on its stand, any politicisation of human blood must stop. Loss of precious human lives is not a matter of politics or of disregarding murders as an aberration. Every death must be accounted for and each case probed fairly to deliver justice, both for the sake of respecting human rights and disciplining the security forces as well as for ensuring that conducive atmosphere can be created for a dialogue process.
