Srinagar: Admitting that excessive force was used sometimes to curtail the unrest and to protect the lives and property of people during the last five months in Kashmir, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti asked state police to differentiate between a militant and a militants family.
However, she said now that the situation has improved, the strategy to handle protests need to be revisited.
During the past five months Kashmir valley has witnessed unrest due to which many were killed and injured, including police personnel and civilians. So in these circumstances in order to protect the lives and property of people, excessive force was used. But now that the situation has improved, the strategy to handle protests need to be revisited, Ms Mehbooba, while addressing Attestation cum Passing out parade of 4th BRTC at Commando Training Centre Lethpora in south Kashmir district of Pulwama, admitted.
However, justifying excessive use of force during the unrest, she said had the security forces not acted tough more people would have been killed and property damaged.
Meanwhile, asserting that reconciliation is the only way forward to restore peace and normalcy in the valley, besides resolving Kashmir issue, Ms Mehbooba sought help from state police to create conducive atmosphere in Jammu and Kashmir so that Public Safety Act (PSA) is imposed only on criminals.
Mehbooba said that police has to play a vital role in normalizing situation in the valley.
Be it PSA or AFSPA they are temporary, they have to go. But, I request you (police personnel) to help me restore peace and normalcy in the state. We should create an atmosphere where PSA is imposed only on criminals, including drug peddlers and smugglers and not a 50-year-old or a teenager, she said.
We have to differentiate between a militant and a militants family. We cant treat a militant and his father, brother or sister alike. If a youth is a stone pelter, we have to differentiate between him and his family. Then we have to differentiate between a student stone pelter and an adult stone pelter, she said.
Mehbooba said once peace is restored as a permanent feature, she would rise bar for revocation of tough laws like AFSPA and PSA.
Will Try To Bring Back Local Militants: DGP
Asserting that the state police will try to bring back local militants into mainstream in Jammu and Kashmir, Director General Police (DGP) K Rajendra Kumar said such youth are misguided, but are our own children.
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