- Tells them to stop such acts as it won’t help restore peace
- Asks admin to provide compensation to affected people
After the Army men allegedly damaged about 60 residential houses in Sugan, Shopian in south Kashmir recently, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has talked to senior Army and Police officers and directed them to stop the “excessive approach, as it will only provoke people instead of obtaining peace”.
Reliable sources told Kashmir Post that CM talked to Srinagar-based GoC 15 Corps Lt Gen AK Bhatt and told him that acts of vandalism by army men should stop as it further aggravates the situation.
Army on Monday had allegedly vandalized at least 60 residential houses in Sugan village of south Kashmir’s Shopian district after an IED blast injured three army men.
Locals alleged that army men barged into the village and smashed whatever came their way.
“This is not how peace will be restored. Such acts of excessive use of force are uncalled for. Such acts should stop now. It won’t help us to restore peace. What has happened in Sugan village should not have happened,” Mehbooba told the GoC.
Sources privy to the development at Chief Minister’s Secretariat said Mehbooba also directed the IGP Kashmir S P Pani to help in restoring peace.
“She told IGP that no “unwarranted acts” by police or army should be reported from anywhere,” they said.
According to sources, CM told the GoC and IGP that what has happened in Sugan village of Shopian only provokes people. “Is this how we will get peace in the region”.
The locals of the village also staged a protest here and brought the incident to CM’s notice.
The Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik have already called for complete shutdown on June 2 against the desecration of graveyard, chopping off fruit orchards at SuganShopian, killing of a civilian, Bilal Ahmad Ganie and plight of prisoners in various jails including Tihar jail.
Sources disclosed that Mehbooba has directed district administration Shopian to compensate the losses incurred by people including family of militant commander Zeenat-ul-Islam, whose houses were damaged by army men.
“The CM has also told the GoC that repeated incidents of harassments, excessive use of force and related such incident won’t bring peace but would further deteriorate the situation,” they said.
Deputy Commissioner Shopian had told Kashmir Post on Tuesday that Army comes under AFSPA and it stops him from taking any action against the force.
“They have powers. They can even come into District Magistrate’s house and conduct searches. What can a district magistrate do? Otherwise I had issued orders to them not to venture out of barracks in this holy month,” he had said.
The Sugan and its surrounded by villages of Heff, Shirmal, Chitragam, Moolu, Achan, Panjran, Aglar, Turkawangam, Dragad etc. are said to be militancy hotbed. Most of the militants active in Shopian belong to these villages.
