As the intensity of protests across Valley was beginning to show some signs of decline over the past two weeks, a steep rise in militancy related violence put the Valley again on edge. Friday was the bloodiest with eleven people losing their lives. The violence unfolded as a chain reaction from an encounter between militants and the security forces at Arwani. Two civilians, Mohammad Ashraf Khar, 22 and Ahsan Dar, 14, were killed in the firing when the protesters from the surrounding villages disrupted the encounter site to help the militants escape. Many other protesters sustained bullet injuries and were rushed to various hospitals in Srinagar.
Three militants including their commander Junaid Mattoo were later also killed. But while the search was on for their bodies, their colleagues mounted a revenge attack, just 17 kilometres away, on a Sumo vehicle carrying six police men including the SHO Feroz Ahmad Dar. Militants fled with their weapons. The bodies of the police men were lying on the road for about half an hour before they were removed.
This has sent Kashmir reeling again. Inevitably a hartal followed in response to civilian killings and the government imposed calm by shutting the colleges down. Overall, according to an estimate, the schools, especially colleges and higher secondaries have been open only for 50 percent of the time this year.
In a familiar turn of events, thousands of people attended the funeral of three militants in their respective villages. Several successive funeral prayers were held for them to accommodate a continuing stream of mourners from the near and far villages. What is more, groups of militants also appeared at the scene. They offered gun salutes and left the scene.
The security scenario for the summer ahead is thus grim. The J&K Police has vowed revenge. The DGP SP Vaid has talked of tracking down the militants responsible for the killings and making sure the justice is done. But the popular sentiment in Kashmir isnt entirely in harmony with the official outrage. People largely have tended to look at the killings in the context of the larger Kashmir situation. Many people have sought an equal outrage and the condemnation over the militant and the civilian killings. This reality was evident on the ground too. In comparison to the militant funerals, a far smaller number of people attended the burial of the slain police men. In fact, a day earlier, pro-freedom slogans were raised at Ashtengo, Bandipora during the funeral procession of the policeman killed in a militant attack in Hyderpora area of Srinagar on Thursday. Omens for the summer ahead are thus not good. There is every chance that the situation will tip over into yet another extended unrest. And considering Government has no other means of dealing with it except the use of disproportionate force, there is little hope that the situation can be turned around for the better.
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