The tragic killing of the seven Amarnath yatris, five of them women, have plunged Kashmir once again into deep uncertainty. Though Kashmir has witnessed much bloodshed over the past year, nobody expected Amarnath yatris to be attacked. After all, over the years, militants have welcomed the yatris and assured that there was no threat to the yatra from them. Soon after the yatris were killed, Lashkar-e-Taiba in a statement distanced itself from the attack and termed it as the handiwork of the agencies.The outfit termed the attack as a false flag operation. However, the police has blamed Lashkar itself for the killings.
An intelligence input which has now gone viral on social media refers to militants planning a sensational attack to trigger communal tensions throughout the nation. However, despite the credible input, police couldnt pre-empt the attack, a failure which it puts down to the non-specific nature of the information. It also blames the attacked bus driver for plying illegally and thus violating the security guidelines. Police has also said the attack was not on the yatris but a police patrol party and that the pilgrims were caught in the crossfire.However, many versions of the incident do not detract from the fact that the innocent yatris were attacked and killed. And the killings should be unequivocally condemned. No cause or struggle justifies these killings. Kashmir has justifiably been revolted by the attack. The political and the civil society groups including also the common people have been deeply saddened by the loss of lives.
Incidents like these must also make the governments in the state and at the centre realize the gravity of the situation. When the only way you deal with a fraught situation is through an iron-hand, and when you refuse to engage or hold dialogue to resolve the underlying issues underpinning the lingering turmoil, there comes a time when the situation gets out of hand. This state of affairs in Kashmir hasnt been truer than it has been during the term of the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre. The more it has used force to curb the violence and the more it has withdrawn from a political outreach towards the state the more violent Kashmir has become.
What needs immediate attention is that the situation in the state has now become so unpredictable and uncertain that the restraints and the redlines of the past are unlikely to hold any longer. And with every new redline being breached, the situation will take an even more violent turn. And not only in Kashmir but across the country too. Therefore, it is time that the central government revises its security-centric Kashmir policy and moves on to one that prioritizes sustained engagement and the dialogue. Continuing on the course adopted so far might benefit the BJP politically in the rest of India but it will have disastrous consequences, both for Kashmir and rest of India.