A senior police official, Mohammad Ayub Pandit was lynched as he was trying to ensure that prayers could be completed without a hitch at Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid. His body was badly mutilated. Questions arise about the calamitous night when it occurred. It is hard to understand why his force could not come to his rescue. Kashmiris in uniform, belonging to the police or the army, are new targets not only of militants but also of the angry public. It has been a phenomenon in the last one month or so. Recently a young army officer was murdered at a wedding ceremony. Kashmiris in the J & K police force have been murdered on a number of occasions in cold blood. It appears to be a sequel to the extermination of militants. These occurrences are not just retaliatory actions. The outrages show that Kashmiris in the service of the state will continue to be victims of such violence.
The Kashmir crisis has thus taken a new turn. Though the militants are on the rampage against it, people of the valley seek government jobs in large numbers, especially in the police force. Only Kashmiris have familiarity with the terrain and are best suited for such security operations in the vulnerable areas of the state. But now they are identified as enemies of the state. Kashmir’s society looks upon them as betrayers of the people. Ordinary people have taken up the cause of militants. It shows how much anger has mounted in the valley and to what extent society in the state has been radicalized. Pandit was lynched in his own area. He received the treatment that the Islamic state metes out to kafirs.
