WHAT THE BILL ATTEMPTS

The Jammu and Kashmir Police Bill seeks enormous powers for over one lakh J&K police force and creation of certain special security zones in the state where the police will be placed at the top of governance. The Bill also seeks creation of the Village Defence Committees (VDCs) and the Special Police Officers (SPOs) with wider powers and limited checks. Similarly, in the Bill, concept of “community policing” has been introduced under Section 32 along with rewards for the same

Srinagar, February 25
Nearly 10 days after the state Home Department put the contents of the draft of the Jammu and Kashmir Police Bill, 2013, on its website, Kashmir-based civil society activists have taken the online route to lodge protests against the proposed Bill.

A Kashmir-based civil society activist, Kalpana Tikku, has started an online petition campaign on www.change.org (an online petition forum) addressed to Governor NN Vohra and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, urging them to increase the time span for consultation with various stakeholders, including the civil society, for making various amendments to the Bill.

The online petition says the rural population of the state does not have access to the Internet and hence cannot view the contents of the Bill, which was put online on February 15, seeking comments and suggestions within 15 days.

“The online petition is being signed by people from all quarters of society and each time the petition is signed, an email is sent to the Governor and the Chief Minister, making them aware of our resentment with the Bill and the steps need to be taken to make it more people-friendly,” Tikku said.

She said since the deadline inviting suggestions and comments for amendments to the proposed Bill was just five days away, the online route of registering a protest against the “self-styled Bill” seemed to be the best and quickest possible way to apprise the authorities of the concerns of the people.

“I feel the state government should conduct awareness workshops, meetings and consultations with a cross-section of people on the ground, which is a more correct way of throwing the Bill open to public suggestions. This has also been mentioned in the petition,” Kalpana said

The Jammu and Kashmir Police Bill, 2013, was posted on the Home Department’s website on February 15, when Kashmir was under curfew following Afzal Guru’s hanging. The Bill has already come under severe criticism for allegedly giving an upper hand to the police in administrative, community and all local affairs.

The signatories of the petition, in their feedback, have stated various reasons as to why they oppose the contents of the Bill.

A signatory, Idrees Lone, wrote in his feedback, “I am a citizen of J&K and this act does affect all of us. The police should not be a force, it should be a service.”

Riyaz Bhat, another signatory, wrote, “Please stop this carrot-and-stick approach. The world has changed so we need to change as well. Don’t apply laws of the dark ages. Please give people some breathing space and respect. We have enough policing already.”

A Kashmiri based in the UK, Altaf Bukhari, in his feedback, said, “Affects the basic right of peaceful living, shows the police to be master not caretaker, gives the government powers to bully the public.”

The online petition, which was started on Sunday has so far received 48 signatures and the campaign is expected to pick up pace in the wake of public dissent over the Bill.

“We hope the decision makers will take due cognisance of various opinions our campaign has so far highlighted and increase the time limit of inviting suggestions and inputs since this is crucial to the peaceful co-existence of the police and people of the state,” Kalpana said.

Srinagar, February 25
Terming the the Jammu and Kashmir Police Bill, 2013, as an attempt to turn Jammu and Kashmir into a police state, chairman of the Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has threatened to launch an agitation to thwart the passage of the Bill.

The draft Bill, which has been put by the J&K Home Department in the public domain for suggestions, has received criticism from different quarters in the recent days, with the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) describing the proposed Police Bill as an attempt to institutionalise the “dreaded Ikhwan (counterinsurgent) culture”.

The PDP has also made it clear that the party would strongly oppose passage of the Bill in its present form if introduced in the forthcoming Budget Session.

“The purpose of this Bill is to legalise illegality in Jammu and Kashmir and is an attempt to put the whole population of the state on the mercy of Ikhwanis (counterinsurgents), who are already feeling the brunt of many draconian legislations like the AFSPA and Public Safety Act,” Mirwaiz said 
while expressing his resentment over the proposed legislation.

Mirwaiz is currently under house arrest at his Nigeen residence ever since he arrived from New Delhi last week. Mirwaiz termed the proposed Bill as just another attempt to turn J&K into a police state, saying that instead of making the police and other perpetrators accountable, the government is attempting to muzzle the voices of people by this legislation.

“This Bill is attempted to suppress the voice of Hurriyat leaders and the peaceful struggle of people. But the people will not only resist this proposed legislation, but if required, an agitation will be launched against this Bill,” Mirwaiz said. He added that on the one side the government was claiming to revoke the AFSPA, while on the other it was attempting to turn J&K into a police state. “This legislation, if passed will not only give rise to anarchy in the state, but will pave the way for trampling upon the voices of the people,” Mirwaiz said.

Srinagar, February 25
The Peoples’ Conference led by Sajad Lone has expressed concern over the proposed J&K Police Bill describing it a “covert attempt” by the state government to impose Marshal Law in the state by putting civil liberties and rights into permanent abeyance.

A spokesman of the Peoples’ Conference, after a meeting of its leaders under the chairmanship of Sajad Lone today, said it was a brazen attempt to unleash a new era of suppression in the state. “It’s ironic that the Chief Minister wants to impose his own version of AFSPA in the state, while posturing as a proponent of lifting the draconian law from the state,” he added. He said the Bill was aimed at “bypassing” the civil administration in matters of law and order and had “conspicuous indications of nurturing and integrating informers and mercenaries into the police machinery by giving them sweeping, unbridled powers”. “The Bill is dangerous and alarming and has conspicuous and inherent proposals to suppress civilians by eliminating whatever little checks and balances exist in the law and order machinery,” the PC spokesman said.

Its proposal to allow the state to arbitrarily declare any area as a “special security zone” where the powers of the civil administration can be “integrated” with the Police Department was a blatant trivialisation of the civil and legal institutions of the state and making all arms and functions of the civilian and legal machinery subservient to the police, the statement said.

The PC spokesperson said the proposal to allow the Director General of Police to employ, constitute, arm and support “any number” of Village Defence Committees and the Special Police Officers” was an open declaration of the revival of counterinsurgency in the state.

Lone, who unsuccessfully contested the last Lok Sabha elections from Baramulla, expressed bewilderment at the Chief Minister’s “double-speak and hypocrisy” by proposing such a “draconian and dictatorial” legislation in a state where the law and order mechanism was perceived to be tainted and oppressive, the spokesman said.

Lone also wondered as to how the Chief Minister had the “audacity” to make such a “ridiculous proposal” while opposing AFSPA. “What is the difference between AFSPA and the J&K Police Bill? The Bill is in fact a potential validation and incorporation of AFSPA into the state’s legal and law and order machinery and raises serious concerns about the NC-led government’s stand on draconian laws in the state”, the statement said.

Srinagar, February 25
A team of 26 students of north Kashmir’s Tangmarg town today returned home from a motivational tour organised by the Army under its Sadbhavna programme.

The students, who left the Valley on February 9, toured the cities of Delhi, Pune and Nasik, according to a Defense spokesman. The tour was organised by 891 Field Regiment. “The aim of the tour was to show the boys the diverse cultural heritage and development taking place in the country. The theme of the tour was aptly coined ‘Watan Ki Sair, Aman Hai Muqaam’,” the spokesman said.

During the tour, the students had an interaction with the VCOAS of Army Lt Gen SK Singh on February 13 at the Army Headquarters. “The VCOAS spoke at length with the students and was pleased to see their enthusiasm,” the spokesman said.

In Delhi, the students visited the Red fort, National Museum, India Gate, Qutab Minar and the Lotus Temple and also enjoyed the malls of the city, the spokesman said. The team then went to the Devlali Hills and stayed there from February 15-17 and reached Pune on February 17. “They went to the National Defence Academy and met the Air Marshal KS Gill,” the spokesman added. 

Srinagar, February 25
The J&K Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have condemned yesterday's killing of a sarpanch in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.

In a statement issued here today, JKPCC president Prof Saifuddin Soz MP expressed grief over the killing of Javid Ahmad Wani, who was a sarpanch of Kalantra Payeen in Baramulla. He said, “The young man was a dynamic political figure of that area and his assassination deserves condemnation.” Soz also offered condolences to the bereaved family.

Condemning the killing, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said, “Innocent killings had no place in a civilised society. It was unfortunate that the government had put the lives of elected members of village bodies in jeopardy through its selfish and narrow minded policies. Society that elected them would have been the strongest security for the panches and sarpanches, if the government had empowered them sufficiently to perform and bring the benefits of the panchayati raj to people.”

Calling upon the government to come out with investigation reports of six village representatives killed so far, Mehbooba said the government could not escape accountability for their killing. Stating that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had stated that security would be provided to panches and sarpanches at least in the areas where the threat perception suggested it, she said, “Like all his announcements this one too has turned out to be false.”

Mehbooba said the government “having failed on all fronts” had created an atmosphere of “mistrust and crisis of credibility” for all state institutions. She said in spite of receiving huge funds from the Centre, the state had failed to provide remuneration to the panches and sarpanches. “Those funds are utilized only for the luxuries of the rulers and organising undeserved celebrations and propaganda campaigns of non existing achievements,” she added.

Senior PDP leaders, including Muzaffar Hussain Baig, party general secretary Mohammed Dilawar Mir, MLA Basharat Bukhari too condemned the killing.

Meanwhile, MLC and JKPCC vice-president Ghulam Nabi Monga visited the residence of the deceased sarpanch and offered condolences to the bereaved family.

Srinagar, February 25
Separatists have called for a series of protests and a shutdown for the rest of this week in the Kashmir valley to seek the bodies of 2001 Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru and another militant Mohammad Maqbool Butt.

The protest schedule has been devised jointly by several separatist groups, including both the hardline and moderate Hurriyat factions, under the banner of the Mutahhida Majlis-e-Mushawrat (MMM) or Joint Consultative Committee. Representatives of the two Hurriyat factions, JKLF, High Court Bar Association, Jamaat-e-Islami and Dukhtaraan-e-Millat held a meeting to chart out the joint protest programme, according to a statement.

The MMM was formed after the moderate Hurriyat publicly objected to their hardline counterparts for issuing a protest calendar without coordination, following which the hardline faction announced they will work together with other groups to decide the schedule.

According to the latest protest calendar, the High Court Bar Association will hold demonstrations at all court complexes in the region on Wednesday afternoon for two hours.

On Thursday, residents of four south Kashmir districts - Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam - will demonstrate to demand the return of Guru’s and Butt’s bodies. Both Guru and Butt were hanged and buried in Tihar Jail.

The separatist front has called for a shutdown and protests on Friday.

On Saturday, the MMM has asked residents to tie red ribbons on their vehicles, shops and houses to symbolise the “blood of martyrs”.

The group has asked residents to resume their businesses on Sunday to compensate for the Friday shutdown.

Kupwara, February 25
Three persons got injured in a clash among two groups at Armapora village in Bandipora district yesterday.

Reports said people of two neighbouring communities indulged in a heated argument over construction of a local mosque.

They later clashed and pelted kangris (firepots) at each other. The injured whose identity could not be ascertained were admitted to a hospital. The police has taken cognisance of the incident. A case has been registered in this regard.

Srinagar, February 25
Independent MLA from Langate constituency Engineer Rasheed today sought the support of the ruling National Conference (NC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the passage of his resolution seeking handing over of the bodies of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

“I have already submitted a resolution (ahead of the coming Assembly session) and if the National Conference and the PDP, too, want that his mortal remains should be handed over, they should support my resolution. They should also ensure that my resolution is not sabotaged,” Rasheed said while addressing a press conference here.

He also said he was ready to withdraw his resolution if the NC and PDP tabled its own resolutions to ensure handing over of Guru’s body, who was executed recently at Tihar Jail in New Delhi.

The MLA said the ruling and opposition parties should leave aside “dirty politics” if they were serious about seeking Guru’s body for his family.

Flaying the proposed police bill, he said he won’t let it be passed in the upcoming Budget session of the Legislative Assembly which is scheduled to start in Jammu February 28. “They will have to pass the bill over our dead bodies,” he said.

“If the government wants police reforms, it should make the police force people-friendly. Some are saying that the bill will revive ikhwanis (counter insurgents) but they are still everywhere. There are ikhwanis even in the Assembly,” Rasheed said.

On the reported house arrest of hard-line Hurriyat chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani in New Delhi, he said: “Even (National Conference) Member of Parliament GN Ratanputi was not allowed to meet him yesterday. It shows helplessness. New Delhi is taking us for granted.”

Srinagar, February 25
The Kashmir valley continued to remain in the grip of cold days after rains and snow lashed the region.

The maximum day temperature in Srinagar city notched up to 9.6 degrees Celsius while the night temperature dropped to 4 degrees Celsius, an official of the state Meteorological department said.

Kashmir received intermittent snow and rainfall for two days on Friday and Saturday which brought back the winter chill to the region with the day temperatures across the Valley being a few degrees above the freezing point and the night temperature dipping to the freezing point.

The Meteorological Department said light to moderate rain and snowfall could occur in the state on Tuesday and Wednesday as fresh Western Disturbance is approaching the region.

In Qazigund, the southern gateway town to the Valley, the day temperature rose to a maximum of 6.9 degrees Celsius and the night temperature dipped to 1 degrees Celsius, the official said.

The day temperature at Kokernag town in south Kashmir rose to a maximum of 6 degrees Celsius while the night temperature dropped to 0.4 degrees Celsius.

In the Pahalgam resort of south Kashmir, the minimum temperature dropped to zero degrees Celsius and the day temperature rose to a high of 5.3 degrees Celsius.

The north Kashmir’s Gulmarg resort, which is famous with skiing enthusiasts, remained the coldest place in the Kashmir valley.