Huge protests have broken out all over Kashmir against the repeated killing of civilians by the Army and paramilitary forces. On February 21, army personnel near Sopore had wantonly killed two young men who were returning with a group after paying a visit to a Sufi shrine. Initially, the army had denied any culpability and had given out conflicting and misleading versions about what had happened. But faced with the public uproar, it eventually appointed its own court of enquiry which found 3 of its personnel guilty of “lapses” and excessive use of force. No punishment was announced, and the names of those involved were not revealed.

The Indian state is trying to use this verdict to show that it has “zero tolerance” for human rights violations by its armed forces. But even as protests over the February 21 were unfolding, more and more killings have taken place. A teenager was killed in Srinagar on March 7, while a 35 year old carpenter was shot down by armed forces on March 18 in south Kashmir. On all these occasions, men and women have poured onto the streets to show their grief and anger at the Indian state and its cold-blooded murders. The villagers of Bumai, where the February killings took place, have threatened to emigrate en masse if the army camp which has been posted there for weeks is not withdrawn immediately.

The probe into a few of the instances of army atrocities will make no difference as long as Kashmir continues to languish under the jackboots of the army and paramilitary forces, as long as repulsive laws like the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) continue to operate there. The AFSPA, which has been imposed on Kashmir continuously since 1990, allows the armed forces to commit murder, rape and other atrocities against people with impunity. It is the demand of millions of people, in Kashmir as well as in other places where it is imposed, especially in the North East, that this fascist law be completely revoked. People's Voice wholeheartedly supports this completely just demand. It is significant that various political parties in Kashmir, as well as the government of Omar Abdullah, have also voiced their support for this demand. Not only should the AFSPA be revoked, but the army must be immediately withdrawn from all civilian areas, and exemplary punishment must be meted out to those personnel who commit crimes against the people.