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PDP protests civilian killings

KT NEWS SERVICE. Dated: 9/14/2013 12:01:30 AM

Dance of death is pushing youth to wall: Mehbooba

SRINAGAR, Sep 13: People Democratic Party (PDP) today took a protest march against the unabated killings of innocent civilians in Kashmir. The march was led by party president Mehbooba Mufti along with the senior leaders, legislators and some prominent workers.
The march started from the party headquarters at residency road Srinagar to reach secretariat on foot, but was stopped by police contingent and other security forces near Regal Chowk. There was a lot of tussle between the PDP workers and police and Mehbooba Mufti along with some senior leaders succeeded in breaking one of the barricades but was again stopped by the police there.
Addressing the protestors on this occasion, Mehbooba said that Kashmir had become a killing field, where every day bullets are fired and innocent people get killed. She lamented that there is no accountability in the government and nobody is being held responsible and punished for these incidents and only commissions are being ordered with no results till date. “This has been continuously happening during the last five years since NC-Congress government assumed the power,” she asserted.
She said that inspite of the fact that militancy has declined drastically, the civilian killings have gone up in comparison. She said hundreds of civilians killed during the last few years, have been innocent youth, who had no relation with any kind of militant activity. “But unfortunately both the state and central government which are coalition partners both here as well as in Delhi, have failed to take any action against the police and the security personnel responsible for these civilian killings. Right from the death of deaf and dumb outside Chief Minister's residence, followed by Alochibagh killing, Shopian rape and murder case, Machil fake encounter ,120 killing in 2010, Boniyar, Markandal, Gool etc or the latest killing at Shopian followed by Redwani killing, there seems to be no end and no punishment for the same.”
Mehbooba said the state government has failed to take action against even a single policeman till date and similarly the central government too has not punished any security forces personnel for the killings committed by them. This lack of accountability has sent a wrong signal to the forces that they can get away with anything. The only mode of communication between youth and the young chief minister seem to be through bullets, pellet guns, chili grenades, tear gas shells, PSA, FIRs, curfew and jail. This unabated and unaccounted dance of death has pushed the youth to the wall and further alienated them.
The PDP president said that ordering inquiries has become the norm of this government and people have lost faith in the system. “Therefore, to restore the confidence of people the state government has to take action against the police and central government has to take action against the security forces personnel, involved in the killings of the civilians. Secondly troops have to be withdrawn from the civilian areas to avoid Shopian like incidents in future. Both draconian laws like PSA and AFSPA have to end, only then this bloodshed will end and people will enjoy their right to live freely. She said that if these reconciliatory measures are not adopted urgently, the situation may go out of hand, and this may destabilise not only Kashmir but the whole region. Therefore, she impressed upon both the state and the central governments to take the situation very seriously and take immediate measures to address it,” she said.