2010 Kashmir unrest

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• Quit Kashmir Movement (2010)

File:Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.JPG

The three regions: Jammu(Blue outside brown boundary), the Kashmir valley(Blue inside brown boundary) and Ladakh(Pink). Kashmir Valley was the area which saw constant tension.

The 2010 Kashmir unrest is a series of riots and demonstrations in Kashmir Valley in the North Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. What originally began as protest against death of a 17 year old boy degenerated into rioting, burning, looting, and killing by June 11. The call for this campaign, led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, was given for complete demilitarisation of Jammu and Kashmir. The Hurriyat has accused Indian Forces of various human rights abuses including fake encounters, killings of dozens of innocent youth, sexual violence against women, destruction of property and exploitation of the region's natural resources, and claimed that "oppression has reached the extreme", resulting in these protests.. Subsequently, the movement has degenerated into a cycle of violence, with continued street protests, stone pelting and police firing, and several people, mostly youth, losing their lives as a result.. Additionally, the protests do not factor in the wishes of the substantial religious kashmiri minority of Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and Christians, these religious minorities account for almost 33 % of population in J & K. Other than them, ethnic minorities like Gujjars and Bakarwals have also wished to remain a part of India.

Background

On April 30, 2010, the Indian Army claimed to have foiled an infiltration bid from across the Line of Control, at Machil Sector in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir by killing three armed militants from Pakistan. On June 11, there were violent protests against these killings in the downtown area of Srinagar. Police used force to disperse the protesting youth during which a teargas shell killed seventeen year old Tufail Ahmad Mattoo by bursting his skull. Several protest marches were organized across the Valley in response to the killings which were met with indiscriminate firing by the security forces deployed in the region. Thereafter a vicious circle was set, killing of a person was followed by protest demonstrations and clashes with police and CRPF in which another person was killed which led to another protest till more lost their lives.

Protest and violence

Following the death of 17 year old Tufail Mattoo who was hit by a teargas canister during stone-pelting at Rajouri Kadal on June 11. Many protests both violent and peaceful were launched in the valley.

Stone Pelting

2010 saw a new violent mean of the protest in the valley, "stone pelting". The protesters were accused by the government of using a stone pelting as a violent mean of creating chaos. Security forces cited stone pelting as a reason for their firing in retaliation as many security force member were hurt by this act, mob not only used it randomly but also targeted certain people such as Congress leader and J&K school education minister Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed, whose house was attacked when he was celebrating Eid with his family at his residence in Damhal-Khusipora in Anantnag district.

To prevent the mob violence from escalating, authorities imposed curfew in Srinagar and other towns in the valley. In August, the government responded by imposing curfews in the disturbed areas and by deploying Rapid Action Force (RAF) in the Srinagar valley to control violent demonstrations. Protesters, however, defied curfew and also pelted stones on the police and paramilitary personnel. Some people even pelted stones on a police post at Pothkhak in Sopore. Government alleged that stone pelting in Kashmir valley appears to be fast turning into a lucrative 'business' for some unemployed youths offering this 'service' for a price. Several youths are also operating 'stone pelting' cartels funded by separatist organisations and some political parties, sources say, adding that business worth lakhs of rupees is usually generated through this activity. Details in this regard came out during extensive interrogation of a stone pelter arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir police over a period of last three days. Separatist groups, especially those owing allegiance to Pakistan-terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Tayiba, are alleged to have formed several groups comprising a minimum of dozen people, sources in the interrogation team said.

September protests

Protests in Kashmir escalated over several days, as demonstrations against public burning of the Koran as a protest in the United States commemorating the September 11 attacks quickly turned into separatist protests against the Indian government in the Muslim-majority province. On September 13, Muslim protesters defied a military-imposed curfew, setting fire to a Christian missionary school and government buildings. At least 13 people were shot dead by police, and one policeman was killed by a thrown rock; at least 113 policemen and 45 protesters were wounded.On September 12, a church was burned and a curfew instituted in Punjab. Violence spread into Poonch in the Jammu division, with three protesters shot by police. Protesters burned government buildings and vehicles including the SDM's office, where a gas cylinder exploded inflicting injuries on six persons; the SDPO office; the Forest Department office; the BDO office and two police and five civilian vehicles. Police prevented the burning of a Christian school in Poonch, and another in Mendhar the next day, in clashes leaving four protesters killed, 19 wounded, but dozens of government offices, a police station, and eight vehicles were burned. As of September 16, the Hindustan Times placed the death toll at 90, blaming much of the resentment on the indefinite military curfew, the first in ten years to affect the entire Kashmir Valley, calling the curfew "collective punishment" and writing that after four days, "People are running out of milk, vegetables and baby food. " On September 18, after six days, the curfew was relaxed in parts of Srinagar and some other areas for four hours to allow people to buy essentials.

On the night of September 17, a policeman's house was set on fire in Pinjoora village. On September 18, a large procession in Anantnag defied curfew, carrying the body of Maroof Ahmad Nath, who drowned while fleeing police. After "agitating mobs attempted to torch government property", security forces opened fire, killing Noorul Amin Dagga and injuring five. Fayaz Ahmad Naiku of Boatman Colony (Bemina), Srinigar died from injuries received the preceding day. A group stoning and attempting to burn the home of Samajwadi Party leader Fayaz Ahmad Bhat were dispersed by gunfire. A group of men emerging from a mosque were fired on with one killed and four injured in Pattan area. A police spokesman disputed claims that the attack was unprovoked, because a mob tried to block the Srinagar-Baramulla National Highway and started heavy stone pelting on security forces. With the death toll now reaching 100, Amnesty International called on Indian security forces not to use gunfire against demonstrators.

On September 15, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh proposed an all-party meeting in Jammu and Kashmir, saying that dialogue was the only way to find lasting peace, and "We are ready for dialogue with anybody or any group that does not espouse or practice violence". Written invitations included Kashmiri separatists Mirwaiz Omer Farooq and Yasin Malik, who had been excluded from a previous all-party meeting in 2008 during the Amarnath land controversy. Members of the 39-member delegation include Home Minister P Chidambaram and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley (BJP), Basudeb Acharia (CPM), Gurudas Dasgupta (CPI), Mulayam Singh Yadav (Samajwadi Party) and Ram Vilas Paswan (Lok Janshakti Party).

Demand of protesters

Reduction of Indian military presence

There are 700,000 troops in Jammu and Kashmir. Protesters demand that the number of troops in the state of Jammu and Kashmir be reduced.

Plebiscite under UN Auspices

According to the separatists India made commitment to the people of Indian Administered Kashmir that the ultimate fate of the people of Indian Administered Kashmir will be decided by them. United Nations Security Council Resolution 47, adopted in 1948, called for a plebiscite to decide the fate of Kashmir. The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), an alliance of 26 organizations in Kashmir seeks self-determination according to the UN resolution. Some groups have suggested that a third option of Independence be added to the resolutions two options of union with India or union with Pakistan.

Indian viewpoint is succinctly summarized by Ministry of External affairs, Government of India — India holds that the Instrument of Accession of the State of Jammu and Kashmir to India, signed by the Maharaja Hari Singh (erstwhile ruler of the State) on 26 October 1947, was completely valid in terms of the Government of India Act (1935), Indian Independence Act (1947) and international law and was total and irrevocable. The Constituent assembly of Jammu and Kashmir had unanimously ratified the Maharaja's Instrument of Accession to India and had adopted a constitution for the state that called for a perpetual merger of the state with the Union of India. India claims that this body was a representative one, and that its views were those of the Kashmiri people at the time. United Nations Security Council Resolution 1172 tacitly accepts India's stand regarding all outstanding issues between India and Pakistan and urges the need to resolve the dispute through mutual dialogue and does not call for a plebiscite. United Nations Security Council Resolution 47 cannot be implemented since Pakistan failed to withdraw its forces from Kashmir which was the first step in implementing the resolution. Now the resolution is obsolete since the geography and demographics of the region have been permanently altered. The resolution was passed by United Nations Security Council under Chapter VI of the United Nations Charter. Resolutions passed under Chapter VI of UN charter are considered non binding and have no mandatory enforceability as opposed to the resolutions passed under Chapter VII.

See also

• 2009 Shopian rape and murder case
• Zakoora And Tengpora Massacre
• Gawakadal massacre
• Sopore massacre
• Bomai Killing, 2009