Sources said that the Army chief, during the 30-minute-long meeting, apprised Doval of the situation in the Valley besides briefing him about the overall security scenario in the state
Chief of the Army Staff General Bipin Rawat met National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Sunday to discuss the current situation in Kashmir Valley. The visit comes amidst surfacing of a number of videos on social media which has heightened tensions in the Valley.
Sources said that the Army chief, during the 30-minute-long meeting, apprised Doval of the situation in the Valley besides briefing him about the overall security scenario in the state.
The meeting took place amidst reports that Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, who heads the PDP-BJP coalition government, was not happy at the Army’s actions and warned of “serious repercussions”.
Earlier, the Army chief had on Saturday evening, soon after returning from Jammu, called on Mehbooba in the Capital, promising to inquire into a recent video showing a man tied up to an army jeep. The man was allegedly being used as a “human shield” against stone-pelters.
The chief minister has also asked the security forces to exercise maximum restraint while performing their duties in provocative situations and strictly follow the standard operation procedures (SOPs) in such cases. It is believed that after Mehbooba’s meeting with the Army chief, security agencies have been asked to reformulate SOPs.
The chief minister has also sought a report from the police about the surfacing of videos on social media which are showing alleged atrocities committed by security forces against. She termed the acts as “unacceptable” and “atrocious.”
The video “war” is heating up in the Valley with security agencies and separatist crowds, armed with videos, are doing their best to show each other up in the virtual world. It started with a video clip showing some youths beating up a CRPF personnel during the bypoll to the Srinagar parliamentary constituency on April 9.
Following an FIR lodged by the CRPF, the Jammu and Kashmir police have arrested the three youths.
Soon after this incident though, four videos surfaced and were circulated widely. The first, a high definition capsule, showed a group of soldiers ruthlessly beating a young man. The second capsule, almost accompanying the first one, shows youth in an armoured Casper vehicle – being marshalled by soldiers. The third video shows a couple of young men without their attire being beaten by soldiers. And the fourth one, which caused mass outrage, shows a youth tied to an Army vehicle.
Two more videos then surfaced on Sunday morning. Recorded with a cell phone, they show gunmen threatening two political activists forcing them to denounce their party affiliations. With guns pointed their chest, the activists are shown as being forced to shout anti-India slogans. One is said to be a panchayat member and the other, a trade leader.
Another video — shared on Twitter by National Conference spokesman Junaid Matoo — show security forces allegedly shoot a stone-pelter in the head during a stone pelting incident. The video claims he was shot without any warning. The police have been asked to conduct a probe.
Meanwhile, Farooq Ahmad Dar, the man who was tied in front of the Army vehicle in Budgam, said he would not file any formal complaint against the Army. Police sources say that in the absence of a formal complaint by Dar, they would not be able to refer the case to the Army for investigation.
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