Govt says enough is enough to marches

The government gave the Kashmiri separatists a long rope, but its patience is now running thin, reports Aloke Tikku.

The government gave the Kashmiri separatists a long rope, but its patience is now running thin.

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On Monday, the Union home ministry said the state government imposed curfew in Kashmir and prevented separatists to mobilise people on the valley’s streets since there seemed no end to the protests.

There are also growing fears that the militants would use public gathering to provoke police to fire at innocent people.

There was one incident on Monday in Bandipore locality where miscreants fired at the security forces from the crowd. In another incident, a shot fired from the mob injured a woman.

“An empty AK-47 cartridge was recovered after a crowd was dispersed in Beerwah (Budgam district),” Union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta said, citing reports from the state. In the first instance, he said two CRPF personnel were injured, but the security forces exercised restraint and dispersed the crowd.

Gupta said there did not seem to be a purpose to the processions any more. “It was felt, enough is enough,” he said. Since there was no religious element to Monday’s procession, it was felt that it should not be allowed.

There is also a sense within the security establishment that there would have been pressure on the separatist leaders to continue the protests as long as they were not physically restrained.