Police to deny clearance for passport, Govt services too
People involved in breaking law and order disruption, stone-pelting and other crimes will be denied security clearance for passport in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K).
Ahead of the second anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 and 35-A, the J&K Police has issued a circular directing all the field units of the Criminal Investigation Department (Special Branch), Kashmir to deny any security clearance for passport and other Government services/schemes to all those involved in law and order disruption, stone pelting and other crimes.
In the erstwhile State of J&K, former Chief Ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti had announced different amnesty schemes for stone pelters with an aim to rehabilitate them into the mainstream and create a conducive atmosphere for peace.
According to the circular issued on July 31, the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), CID, Special Branch (SB), Kashmir, has directed all the field units under it to ensure that a person’s involvement in breaking law and order, stone-pelting cases, and other crimes prejudicial to the security of J&K be specifically looked into during verification related to passport, service and any other verification related to Government schemes.
“The same must be corroborated from the local police station records,” the circular read.
The SSP also said digital evidence like CCTV footage, photographs, videos and audio clips, quadcopter images available in the records of the police, security forces, and security agencies be also referred during the verification.
“Any subject found involved in any such cases must be denied the security clearance,” the SSP, CID-SB, Kashmir said.
In August 2011, former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah too had announced an amnesty scheme for stone pelters and had taken commitments from their parents that their children won’t participate in sporadic incidents of street violence leading to more trouble on the streets. The general amnesty scheme was announced for youths involved in over 1,200 cases of stone-pelting in the Valley during 2010 summer unrest.
“We have decided to give the youths a second chance. Cases against all the youths arrested on charges of stone-pelting, but not involved in arson, registered during last year’s disturbance will be withdrawn,” Omar had said maintaining it was an Eidi (Eid gift) from his Government to the youths, who were led astray and provoked into protests during last year’s unrest.
Records revealed the incidents of stone pelting dropped marginally for some time but this stone pelting brigade never vanished from the streets of Kashmir valley. Every time they were suppressed by the Government of the day they bounced back with more lethality and triggered unrest by sustaining themselves for longer duration.
Later, when Mehbooba Mufti occupied the hot seat in Jammu and Kashmir in March 2016 cases were withdrawn against first time offenders involved in incidents of stone pelting.
The announcement was made after Dineshwar Sharma, special representative of the Union Government, had submitted a preliminary report to the Union Home Minister after winding up his maiden visit to the State.
Mehbooba Mufti, who was heading BJP-PDP alliance Government in Jammu and Kashmir, went ahead and constituted a three-member Committee vide order No: 355-Home of 2016 dated: 26-06-2016 to review the cases that were registered against the stone pelters between 2008 and 2009 in the first phase and it recommended that 104 cases registered during this period involving 634 persons be withdrawn.
While this process was going on, street violence erupted across Kashmir valley after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen Commander Burhan Wani. 76 civilians and 2 security personnel lost their lives during a four month long prolonged cycle of violence. In November 2017, Mehbooba Mufti issued fresh orders to withdraw cases against the stone pelters on the recommendation of a high-powered committee headed by then Director General of Police (DGP) SP Vaid.
A total number of 2655 FIR’s were registered against those involved in unlawful activities.
8587 accused were arrested, out of whom 8473 were released till January 22, 2017.
A total number of 53 Government properties, including panchayat ghar, police pickets, schools, private property, were damaged and 80 structures were set ablaze.