Address J&K ground realities to reduce violence
The seven member expert committee headed by TVSN Prasad, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, which is carefully considering an alternative to the use of controversial pellet guns will be a significant step for the Government in de-escalating the current crisis in Jammu & Kashmir. The panel which includes officers from the Home Ministry, Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, J&K Police, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi and Ordnance Factory Board are expected to come up with a plausible solution for crowd control in the State.
The rare combination of both experts and officers from the vital sectors who can sense the ground realities at its best will definitely be able to offer a comprehensive alternative which is badly in need for handling the protesters in J&K. As the Home Minister Rajnath Singh had already stated about the minimum use of pellet guns and at the same time, the Prime Minister's starting off a closed door talk with all the opposition parties of the State, will obviously be in sync with the upcoming alternative of the pellet guns.
However, J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti's comment that the youth has been used as a shield in the entire course of protests and for which the neighbouring Pakistan's direct involvement can no way be denied, must be taken seriously by all stake holders, particularly by the opposition parties in the State and at national level. Bringing out a replacement for pellet guns is a technical solution to lessen the effect of the equipments used by the security forces to drive away the crowd. The need of the hour is to address the root causes of the issue in totality wherein the immediate engagement of all political players of the State lies. This process has already begun under the leadership of Narendra Modi and this time the Government must find a solution to this nagging problem for ever.
The newly developed ‘Pelargonic Acid Vanillyl Amide' (PAVA) also known as ‘Nonivamide', an organic compound found characteristically in natural chilli pepper may all set to replace the most controversial pellet guns which by now has injured more than 300 people mostly in the southern part of Kashmir. The PAVA is a kind of non-lethal munition that temporarily incapacitates the target, causing severe irritation leading to unconsciousness, but for only few minutes. It is less lethal, but equally effective than the currently used pellet guns which are almost creating a national uproar, alleging the armed forces operating the most inhuman way that it can. However, people those who are raising the alarm bells against the devastating effects of the pellets should also consider seeing the lost lives and injured soldiers in the same vein. The lives of the security forces who are there on ground and facing the wrath of the violent mobs do equally deserve a humane treatment. Hope PAVA will contribute to easing out of tension to a great extent.