Women stone-pelters are back in action in Jammu & Kashmir, posing a fresh challenge to security forces to deal with this renewed trend.
Expecting a surge in this phenomenon in the coming days, operational commanders are redrawing their tactics, including deploying more policewomen to control women agitators as they hamper anti-terrorist operations and give a chance to terrorists to escape.
This trend of women in the forefront of agitating mobs was the norm of the day in the 1990s and early part of the last decade. After a lull of some years, this phenomenon resurfaced in the past few weeks when in at least two incidents 10 days back in South Kashmir women pelted stones at security forces while they were closing in on a group of terrorists hiding in a house.
Given the sensitivities involved while dealing with women, security forces, including the Army, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the local police displayed restraint and refrained from using force to disperse the agitators. While no untoward incident was reported, presence of women in large numbers at encounter sites has sounded alarm bells in security establishment at the State-level and in New Delhi.
The security establishment is already apprehending a surge in incidents of mobs comprising men converging at the place of operation in the coming days especially in South Kashmir, as was seen in the last fortnight. And, sources said on Sunday, now women joining the crowds will be a greater challenge to handle.
local commanders regularly sensitise their troops to exercise restraint and not to react when faced with groups of agitating women throwing stones, but officials did not rule out the possibility of some personnel losing patience. Though such incidents are very rare, commanders on ground are worried about the repercussions of even one mishandling in a surcharged atmosphere.
Security forces have launched a campaign cautioning people not to get swayed by terrorists and gather around the encounter sites. Mobs had surrounded a team of security personnel in an operation in Handwara in which a Major and three soldiers died during the encounter 10 days back. At least, three terrorists managed to escape in the confusion caused by the mobs while four terrorists were killed. In fact, in the last one year, 25 terrorists in 12 encounters escaped after the mobs hampered the operations.
Against this backdrop of women in the forefront of the protesters, the Army, police and CRPF have decided to refine their tactics while dealing with such situations. The four-step process includes setting up a joint control room at the encounter site for better synergy among the stakeholders. The control room will be located in an armoured vehicle to deter terrorists on firing on it besides prevent damage by stone pelting.
The need for control room arose as encounters, deployment of troops for the anti-terrorist operation and ‘mopping up’ once the firefight ends takes a long time as security forces have to ensure minimum collateral damage and casualties amongst its own.
Moreover, Deputy Commissioners of districts have been directed to prevent gathering of people in the area where the operation is on. Women police personnel will be deployed in high numbers to deal with women agitators.
Thirdly, police will identify those providing shelter to terrorists in urban areas. It has been seen that four encounters in the last fortnight took place in thickly populated urban areas thereby making it all the more difficult for the security forces to flush out terrorists. The fourth step includes the police identifying the stone throwers and initiating legal action against them.