It is most shocking to learn that the stone pelters in Kashmir are so encouraged by the green signal given collectively by the Prime Minister of India – Narendra Damodardas Modi and Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir – Mehbooba Mufti Sayyed that now they have started targeting even school children in the most ruthless and dastardly manner! As if this is not enough, they are hitting children so ruthlessly that they die either on the spot or after some time! As I am writing this piece, news is pouring in different news channels that stone pelters have attacked school bus in Shopian most fiercely and ruthlessly so that they are either killed or become blind or lose their vital body organs!
Needless to say, many children have been injured badly! Some children are battling for their life in hospitals even as stone pelters are fully confident and happy that there is one Modi and one Mehbooba who will always be there to ensure that cases are withdrawn against them even if they kill anyone or maim anyone in Kashmir and all this will then be justified in the name of “healing touch” policy! Should we be proud of such Modi and Mehbooba? Are they following the right path?
What is worst is that both Modi and Mehbooba have taken the common stand that, “India should be proud that cases against stone pelters about 10,000 of them have been withdrawn and even if they again indulge in stone pelting then again they will follow the same healing touch policy of embracing them with open arms”! Even Omar Abdullah who is the former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir has raised questions over Mehbooba’s stupid and shameless policy of withdrawing cases against stone pelters which should never have been withdrawn at the first place but Modi still stands solidly behind Mehbooba which alone explains why he says nothing when cases are withdrawn against stone pelters and instead FIR are lodged against soldiers when they retaliate in self-defence! This is most reprehensible but how is Modi or Mehbooba bothered!
As it turns out, Modi is only and only interested in his foreign trips and when in India doing “Mann ki Baat” or some other Baat and Mehbooba ordering withdrawing of cases against stone pelters with the tacit approval of Modi every now and then! For how long? How long will innocents be allowed to suffer at the hands of stone pelters and how long will Modi and Mehbooba ensure that stone pelters live in free air and not in jail which is the right place for them?
Let me ask a very serious question: Is some foreign power guiding Modi and Mehbooba? Also, let me ask some other troubling questions: Are Modi and Mehbooba being remote controlled by some foreign power? Why the hell then is strict action not taken against stone pelters? Why are they allowed to crush law under their feet and injure or kill anyone whom they like and yet roam scot free?
As if this is not enough, let me also ask here: Why Modi allowed Mehbooba to withdraw cases against 10,000 stone pelters? Why Modi allows Mehbooba to allow police to file FIR against soldiers who fire in self defence and face all sorts of legal action for just doing their duty? What precedent is Modi and Mehbooba setting for the future?
Let me also ask some multiple questions here: Why Modi and his party BJP keep bragging that we never appease anybody but in reality indulge in worst appeasement of stone pelters directly funded from Pakistan and other rogue nations from abroad? How can criminal cases against stone pelters be withdrawn so easily? Why Supreme Court too never takes cognizance of it and orders criminal action against stone pelters against whom Modi and Mehbooba happily withdraw cases in Kashmir? It must act now if it really wants people to respect it really!
Can anyone tell me: Why only one politician in India – Omar Abdullah raises his voice against withdrawal of cases imposed on stone pelters by Mehbooba and even the PM Narendra Damodardas Modi still backs Mehbooba and refuses to order any strict action against stone pelters? Why is Modi and Mehbooba so soft towards stone pelters? Why is it not realized that if this stone pelting is not controlled in time then India as a country will plunge into chaos with no one respecting law and people will openly start taking law in their own hands as most unfortunately we are seeing also many times?
Truth be told, law breakers and criminals must be treated like lawbreakers and criminals and not like VVIPs or Ministers! They must be punished for their misdeeds and not rewarded as most unfortunately we see Mehbooba doing this right in front of our eyes by withdrawing cases against 10,000 stone pelters and Modi too fully backing it tacitly! They must be held accountable for what they have done and should not be allowed to go away lightly at any cost under the garb of “healing touch” policy!
Let me also ask here: Why should cases be withdrawn against them who without any provocation start pelting stones and don’t spare even small harmless and armless children returning or going to school? Do they really deserve it? What message is being sent to law breakers, stone pelters and vandalisers?
Let me also ask here: Why are they being openly abetted by the PM of India Narendra Damodardas Modi and Jammu and Kashmir CM Mehbooba Mufti Sayyed to indulge in more stone pelting by allowing the withdrawal of cases against about 10,000 stone pelters at one go? At the risk of repetition, it has to be underscored once again that cases under no circumstances should ever be withdrawn against stone pelters! They must be made to pay for what they have done and under no circumstances should they be ever allowed to go scot free! Only then will the “rule of law” prevail which cannot be allowed to be given the short shrift under any circumstances!
What is happening now under the nose of Modi and Mehbooba has never happened before! Stone pelters who injure and kill others not sparing even school children are being rewarded openly by allowing cases to be withdrawn against them proudly! If this continues unabated and unchecked then who is going to respect law?
There can be no gainsaying the indisputable and unpalatable truth that both Modi and Mehbooba are to be blamed for giving a long rope to stone pelters and they cannot just shrug it off by forwarding one justification or the other for the current fiasco! They have failed completely to act tough against stone pelters which is most shameful and has only encouraged them to further indulge in more such attacks as cases are withdrawn against them very quickly at the order of Mehbooba government backed by Modi government in Centre! They have allowed these stone pelters to hold our entire legal system to ransom by doing freely what they want to do only to see that cases are withdrawn against them by Jammu and Kashmir State government headed by Mehbooba Mufti Sayyed with full backing of Centre headed by PM Narendra Damodardas Modi! Disgraceful!
Our reputation of legal system in implementing the rule of law lies in tatters! But how does it affects Modi and Mehbooba? Both of whom are more concerned about stone pelters!
This has to change if India is to survive as a nation with reputation of being a country with a “rule of law” and not a country with a “rule of stone pelters”! How can this be done? Very simple!
Let the law be allowed to take its own course in case of stone pelters without allowing them to get away easily! They deserve no leniency of any kind and must be made to face the music of the law for what they did without thinking about the catastrophic consequences of their dastardly acts! Only then will a loud, clear and very strong message go out to all stone pelters that they would not be saved by anybody if they dare to ever indulge in stone pelting!
Sanjeev Sirohi, Advocate,
s/o Col BPS Sirohi,
A 82, Defence Enclave,
Sardhana Road, Kankerkhera,
Meerut – 250001, Uttar Pradesh.
