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| The other victims of Karnala Chak | | |
Early Times report
Jammu ,May 1
Given their economic conditions and perpetual sufferings, the Gujjar settlers of Karnala Chak perhaps deserve more sympathy, concern and aid then they got over past few days but the eviction-drive-politicization of Tawi Islands incident has set a new precedence of suspicion and apparently widened the gaps between administration and the political establishment which could have been avoided in the interest of two-way justice.
The authenticity of the claims of forest department and Gujjars settlers over a piece of land have been questioned by both sides and should better be left disputed in best interests of cast and religion based politics. The impending elections in Baramulla constituency, where the opposition Peoples Democratic Party went all out with the Karnala Chak bogey, warranted an immediate National Conference government’s action and there was indeed one easy scapegoat –the removal of the Divisional Forest Officer of the Social Forestry department. The fire has been doused but the smoke is thickening in the skies.
However, what has left a bad taste in mouth is the emergence of a new precedence –a band of extra-constitutional and extra-legal authorities taking over charge of affairs and an entirely new vocabulary of invectives, diatribe and ruthless abuse of senior officers in full public view. Hundreds of ‘audience’ seeing the top officers of district’s civil and police administration being dressed down by middle and entry level ambitious-politicians of the ruling National Conference now understand how to overrule the magistrates and corner the law enforcing authorities.
When a Minister lashed out at the District Collector of Jammu, the situation was understandable. Even though the political boss was casual with the decency of language but the pressures of situation and authority he wielded could justify some amount of his action. However, when an aid of a Member of Parliament, questioned the powers, authority, reasoning and logic of the Deputy Commissioner in the loudest and harshest possible voice in full public view, it was perhaps a bad entry in the public morality and democratic decency.
“If an officer errs, the government reserves the right to punish him suitably but what authority and whose command does the aid carry”, said a retired officer in Jammu. Dr Mandeep Bhandari joined as DC Jammu when Amarnath land row had just erupted and entire country was concerned over the law and order situation. While three heads of district Police in Jammu and many in other districts rolled during the crisis, he was perhaps one officer who handled the situation with precision. Last week when a key National Conference leader addressed him as “Oye DC, who gave you these powers”, it was a shiver for the onlookers who saw him performing in the crisis of summer 2008.
The alleged Police excesses on the Karnala Chak Gujjars need to be condemned in harshest possible words. But there are other victims also. SP South Mubashir Latiefi is perhaps one of the most meritorious and decorated among the young Police officers. He is nursing a fracture in his leg and an arm. The helmet he was wearing last week, during his Karnala Chak tour, hung cracked on his wall and a wound in his head is getting deeper. A junior cop is struggling in the hospital and nine others are also injured. They were genuinely looking forward for their sympathizers in the government, but the political diatribe has already isolated and declared them as criminals.
The DIG of Jammu-Kathua range, Abdul Quyoom Manhas refuses to say anything on the issue but looks down at his uniform over and over again when reminded of the dressing down he was awarded with for daring to clear encroachments.
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