Police can not adopt two different methods to deal with the protesters in Jammu and in Kashmir, writes Dr. Farooq Ahmad Peer
In the modern society, everybody desires to live in a peaceful and congenial atmosphere. The people in the modern world of development wish to go with the tide of progress and success and like to live in harmony with others so as to combat the challenges of life in a galvanized way.
The people want to have a moral code of conduct to uphold moral values and rightful activities and wish to have a strong law maintaining agency so that discipline in the society with social and communal harmony and order is maintained. In order to maintain law and order and keep the society under discipline, we have a force called as police in every governmental and social set up whose job is to impose laws and maintain peace and order and not allow any anti social person or organization to take law for a ride and make it a slave to anybody’s whims. The role of the police force is difficult and it has serious responsibilities. It has to see that no individual or organization or party representing a particular sect be allowed to do whatever it wishes and goes on oppressing and victimising others who are thought to be in minority and are weak also. In case police does not play its role honestly and permits law to become hostage to the will and desire of any agency or a group, it does injustice to the society as well as to the system that they belong to. A civilized state and society, is directed towards the welfare of its citizens and its police force is responsible to maintain law and order at any cost. The police has to keep in mind certain codes of conduct while maintaining the law and order as also to curb and prevent crimes in the society. But while doing their duty, the force has to satisfy itself that the rights of the common man are not violated and its actions and activities are more directed towards protection rather than suppression. The police has to display several characteristics to fulfill its role effectively and has moral obligation to act in such a way that people feel it is their helper rather than tormentor. The police has the duty to see that all communities, irrespective of caste, color, creed, religion, and position are treated in just and equal manner. It is the duty of the police to deliver its duties with social consciousness and conscience and commitment to the constitution of the country which guarantees security to all sects, communities and religions. It needs to deal with mobs, criminals, rioters, according to law and not allow anybody to take law in his own hands. It requires establishing healthy and sound relations with every community in the society and not allow any community to be targeted and victimized for no fault of theirs.
The public uprising in Kashmir against the land transfer order made the government of J&K state to revoke the order and the aftermath of which was the political crises and subsequently, downfall of the government and imposition of the governor’s rule in the state. The revocation of order is being opposed by certain groups and political parties in Jammu and they demand cancellation of the revocation order. The protest and agitation is continuing since twenty days and it looks that the situation is getting out of control. The people of Jammu have every right to protest in case they feel some wrong has been committed but they have no right to target a particular community and ignore the age old traditions of brotherhood and harmony in the state, and lead the situation towards communal crises in which innocent lives can be lost. The common people of Jammu have always kept good relations with the valley and whatever is happening is unlike of Jammuites. The Muslims have been living with them in Jammu in peace and harmony and they have never harmed each other in the past. We witness that nowadays the Muslim community is at the receiving end and rioters, hooligans and anti social elements of particular groups and parties are setting ablaze houses and looting their property. In case the protesters of Jammu would not communalize the situation, and the protests would continue in a peaceful manner as it continued in Kashmir, it would be good for everybody. It is unfortunate that the police allows the rioters to move freely and do everything as they wish. If an officer of the rank of a Deputy Commissioner and police officers and police cops are manhandled, beaten and killed, what is the position of a common man in such a scenario? During the agitation in Kashmir, no non–Muslim was victimized and harassed and it is heartening that yatris and tourists were hosted during the strike in the valley. Recently, a pundit girl having no parents was married by the Muslims of Habba Kadal and surprisingly but admirably, the guests of the bride were hosted by the Muslims. These actions of the Kashmiris speak that they are not communal and it is a reply to those communal forces who are trying to destroy age old relations between the Hindus and the Muslims in the state. It is all the more sad that poor drivers of are beaten to pulp and their vehicles are damaged. The Jammu-Srinagar Highway is blocked to impose economic restrictions on Kashmiris and thereby create a drought like situation in the valley. But the agents who are involved in such activities forget that the valley is the backbone of their business and the economy of Jammu is dependent to a large extent on Kashmir. During Darbar Move lakhs of Kashmiris visit Jammu and stay there for months and all the money which is spent by Kashmiris goes to the business of Jammu. During summer, lakhs of yatris and tourists visit valley through Jammu and the markets and hotels of Jammu thrive only because of the attraction of the Kashmir valley. The peace loving people of Jammu must know that they have no tourism potential as compared to Kashmir and excepting a few heritage buildings, Jammu can not be a center of any tourist attraction. The economic blockade which is being used against Kashmiris is going to prove counter productive in the long run and the imposed blockade will, in the long run, create economic problems for their own community which is living on along the highway in lakhs and earns its livelihood only due to the vehicular movement to Kashmir.
In the present crisis police have to come up to the expectations of every body and it can help in normalizing the situation and save the state from any catastrophe. The police have a big role to play in avoiding the situation to get worsened and it is their responsibility to safeguard the minority community at any cost and respect the laws and democratic values of the country. They can not be expected to act in a discriminative way and they are bound by law to be considerate with all and uphold the concept of basic human dignity.
No comments:
Post a Comment