Disperse crowds in Kashmir but banish the bullet, say experts

Aug,03, Can Kashmir find its way out of the vicious cycle of protests and police firings that has seen 36 civilians being killed in six weeks? Yes, say outraged experts and rights activists who wonder why security forces haven’t used non-lethal methods like rubber bullets and water cannons to disperse protesters in the valley. A milder response by security forces and the use of internationally accepted ways of dispersing crowds would have reduced civilian killings and helped rein in tensions that have once again put Kashmir in the international spotlight is the widely held view.“I do not think at any occasion in recent times has firing by security forces been warranted,” said E.N.Rammohan, former Border Security Forces (BSF) chief and head of the commission that probed the Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada region in April.“Kashmir needs better policing not repeated firing. An effective lathi-charge, teargas shelling or the use of water cannons could have been better than the bullet firings.”Rammohan, who had worked in Kashmir during the peak of militancy in the mid 1990s, added: “If you abide by international practices, the administration is supposed to deploy baton squads with shields to tackle rioting mobs or stone-pelting protesters.“Firing is not permitted unless security forces are fired upon or their lives are endangered. Even if you fire, it should be at the legs, not above the chest.”Of the 36 people, most of them teenagers and youths, killed during protests since June 11, 29 died in police firing. Four of them Monday.“Police, paramilitary forces and the army have to evolve a new strategy to avoid excessses while dealing with protests,” said Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief Saifuddin Soz. “The aim should be not to kill while controlling mob protests,” Soz said.Stressing the use of water cannons and bullets, he said security forces should be given refresher courses how to deal with street protests and stone-pelters.Human rights organisations have also criticised the “excess use of force” by security personnel in Kashmir.“It is clear security forces are not at all equipped to deal with crowd control. If law enforcement agencies start firing on the protesters, it will ignite more anger amongst the people. It will build a momentum for another round of protests and violence,” Suhas Chakma, director of the Asian Centre for Human Rights,Security agencies, he said, should use rubber bullets instead of live bullets. The criminal procedure code (CrPC) and the UN code of conduct prohibits security personnel from shooting any protester above the waist, Chakma pointed out.“People will protest in a democracy. These protests can take place in any other city of India. But that doesn’t mean that security forces should use live bullets to contain the crowd.”Adding to the chorus of protest, Gautam Kaul, former director general of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), said the formation of peace committees comprising prominent citizens, social activists and community leaders was the need of the hour.He was critical of the methodology of the police action in Kashmir. “I do not see any riot drill undertaken by the police. Instead, there is a formation of uniformed uniformed groups, engaged loosely,” Kaul, himself a Kashmiri, added.Forget about bullets, even rubber bullets should not be fired at close range, he said.Muhammed Yusuf Tarigami, legislator and state secretary of the Communist Party of India-Marxist, told “coordinated panels of the police and the security forces” should be formed at all levels so that the bloodshed is stopped.“They are not the traditional AK-47 wielding militants. But a new group of stone-pelting youngsters. With the media spreading its network, forces should know that the entire world is watching what they do,” Tarigami said.
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Bombay High Court postpones Kasab matter till Aug 12

Aug,03, The Bombay High Court Monday deferred till Aug 12 the proceedings related to confirming the death penalty awarded to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab by a trial court for the 2008 Mumbai attack.The death sentence was awarded to Kasab by a special court here May 6 after a marathon trial of nearly 11 months. A division bench comprising Justice Ranjana Desai and Justice Vijaya Tahilramani adjourned the matter after public prosecutor Pandurang Pol informed the court that the state government would file its appeal within a week challenging the acquittal of Fahim Ansari and Sabahuddin Shaikh, co-accused in the terror attack case.The duo was acquitted after Special Judge M.L. Tahaliyani granted them benefit of doubt over their role as co-accused in the terror attack in November 2008 which left 166 dead and nearly 300 injured.The special court forwarded its verdict to the Bombay High Court for confirmation of the death penalty awarded to Kasab, who was not produced in high court Monday for security reasons.Eminent lawyer Ujjwal Nikam, who was the special public prosecutor in the trial Court, has been appointed a special counsel for appearing in the matter in high court.
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Andhra's interests not compromised on Babhali: Rosaiah

Hyderabad, Aug 3: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K.Rosaiah Tuesday denied that he compromised the interests of the state on the Babhali barrage dispute during a meeting with his Maharashtra counterpart in the presence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.Addressing a news conference here Tuesday evening, he said Andhra Pradesh would continue to pursue the contempt of court case filed in the Supreme Court against Maharashtra for not abiding by its interim order. "At the same time the two states will continue their efforts to find a mutually acceptable solution to the problem," Rosaiah said. The chief minister said it was the opinion of the central government that both the states should abide by the Supreme Court order on the dispute. He said the central government had also directed the Maharashtra government to clarify Andhra Pradesh's doubts on 13 other projects being built by it across Godavari river. Rosaiah denied the allegation by Leader of Opposition N. Chandrababu Naidu that he compromised the state's interests during the meeting with Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan and the prime minister in New Delhi Monday. He, however, declined to reveal details of the meeting, saying it was not proper to do so. Rosaiah said the prime minister directed Union Minister for Water Resources Pawan Kumar Bansal to hold a meeting with ministers and officials of the two states to follow-up on the meeting held Monday. Earlier, Naidu told reporters that Rosaiah compromised the state's interests during the meeting to save his "chair". He pointed out that Maharashtra had already violated the Supreme Court's interim order in the case by going ahead with the Babhali barrage across the Godavari. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief, who along with other party leaders was arrested by Maharashtra police recently for marching towards Babhali, wanted Rosaiah to reveal the details of the meeting. "Will Maharashtra stop the construction of 13 other illegal projects being built by it. Has Mr.Rosaiah raised this issue in the meeting and what was the response of Maharashtra and the prime minister?" asked Naidu. Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) chief K.Chiranjeevi also said the meeting was not satisfactory. He too urged Rosaiah to call an all-party meeting and reveal the details of his discussions in Delhi. Andhra Pradesh argues that Babhali dam will deprive the state of its rightful share of Godavari waters.
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Paper leak: Bail plea of railway official rejected

Hyderabad, Aug 3 : A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court here Tuesday dismissed the bail petition of suspended chairman of railway recruitment board (RRB), Mumbai, M. Sharma in the examination paper leak case.This is the second time that Sharma's bail petition has been dismissed by the court since his arrest in the case in June. The CBI opposed Sharma's bail plea on the ground that this would hamper the investigations into the case. Sharma, his son Vivek Bharadwaj and senior railway officials A.K. Jagannathan and G. Sethi, are lodged at Chanchalguda central jail here. The court June 24 sent Sharma and Sethi, senior divisional personnel officer, Raipur, to judicial custody. The other accused include Jagannathan,a former additional divisional railways manager, Raipur, and his son Srujan. The federal investigating agency had unearthed the racket, involving railway officials and agents. They allegedly charged nearly Rs.3.5 lakh from each candidate for recruitment tests for the posts of assistant locomotive pilots and assistant station masters held early June. Investigations have revealed that at least 444 candidates were supplied question papers. Sharma, Bhardwaj and their accomplices are believed to have pocketed over Rs.15.5 crore through these deals.
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