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| 'Cases against stone-pelters withdrawn on my recommendation': Interlocutor | | Spurt in stone-pelting incidents in Kashmir | | Early Times Report
Jammu, May 12: The Government of India's Special Representative Dineshwar Sharma today acknowledged in New Delhi that cases against stone-pelters were dropped or amnesty to them was granted on his recommendation. Dineshwar Sharma, former Director Intelligence Bureau, was appointed Special Representative by Union Home Minister in October 2017 and his mandate was to talk to "all stakeholders to resolve the issues in Jammu & Kashmir".
Acknowledging that stone-pelters were granted amnesty on his recommendations, Dineshwar Sharma said: "The situation in Kashmir is very complex and difficult. There is nothing like soft and hard approach. The withdrawal of cases against first-time stone-pelters was on my recommendation. I take full responsibility for this. In Kashmir, there are thousands of students and young people who got involved in stone-pelting cases and majority of them were involved only in one case and many of them date back to 2008. Recruitment to militancy is mainly from these stone-pelters who are frustrated and angry, having lost hope of any positive direction in their career and life".
To defend his recommendation, Sharma said: "Our criminal justice infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir is incapable of handling so many cases. The result has been continuous accumulation of cases without a final outcome. My recommendation for withdrawal of cases against first-time stone-pelters was an attempt to wean away young people from the path of violence as we cannot leave thousands of them vulnerable to exploitation by separatists and militants".
Sharma also said that one can argue against and for his his recommendation under which cases against stone-pelters were withdrawn.
"One can argue that withdrawal of cases against first-time stone-pelters encouraged and boldened the stone-pelters. I have checked from Jammu & Kashmir Police that informed me that none of the stone-pelters covered under Amnesty Scheme are involved in fresh incidents of stone-pelting, nor any of them have joined militancy," Dineshwar Sharma said.
It bears recalling that only last month as many as 9,970 stone-pelters were granted amnesty. Commenting on this controversial step, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had said in Delhi that "yes, he asked Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to grant amnesty to first-time stone-pelters". The withdrawal of cases against stone-pelters had evoked a sharp response with many asserting that that the decision would only promote the cult of stone-pelting. |
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