Separatist leader Yasin Malik held, charged with 'waging war against state'

Srinagar: Pro-independence Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief, Muhammad Yasin Malik, and his eight aides and other party activists were on Sunday sent into police remand for ten days by a judge here after State police booked them under Section 121 (waging war against the state) and Section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Ranbir Penal Code. They were later sent to Srinagar central jail after medical check-up.

Malik and others were detained by police during a protest demonstration against the alleged criminal activities including murder, rape and extortion by the members of the Village Defence Committees (VDCs) in various parts of the State’s Jammu region held at Maisuma on Friday. After their detention, the protest had turned violent and in subsequent clashes between stone-throwing mobs and police Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Kothibagh, Fahad Tak, was seriously injured when he was hit by a stone on his face.

The others who were detained with Malik and were lodged in City’s Kothibagh police station with him since are Noor Muhammad Kalwal, Showkat Ahmed Bakhshi, Sheikh Abdur Rashid, Bashir Kashmiri, Ghulam Muhammad Dar, Ishfaq Ahmed, Nazir Ahmed Rather and Muneeb Javaid. All were presented before a judge here early Sunday who sent them to the police remand.

Kashmir Valley observed a protest shutdown on Saturday in response to a call issued by separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani against “terrible atrocities” and other human rights violations being perpetuated by the members of the VDCs in Jammu’s Chenab valley and districts of Rajouri, Poonch, Kathua, Samba, Reasi and Udhampur. Earlier this week a member of a VDC killed a mother-son duo in Rajouri, evoking widespread condemnation and making the Opposition’s demand for disbanding such committees more vocal. Earlier a leader of the youth wing of opposition National Conference (NC) Ishtyaq Ahmed Choudhary was shot dead by another VDC member in Potha village of Rajouri’s Kalakote area.

After these murders and a series of violence and other human rights violations committed allegedly by the VDC members in different areas of Jammu and Kashmir, the demand for disbanding the VDCs gained momentum in the state. However, the state government has ruled out such possibility.

State’s deputy chief minister, Dr. Nirmal Singh, said on Thursday the government has no plan to disband the VDCs. “If member of a political party kills somebody, will they ban that party,” he asked.

The VDCs were created in different districts of the State’s Jammu region during the peak of militancy in 1995 when State was under President’s Rule. The authorities had said that the VDCs are being set up for the purpose of “self-defence and also to supplement the efforts of the security forces to curb militancy and cross-border infiltration in the State.

However, many members of these committees have been found involved in incidents of rape, extortion and kidnapping apart from murders and in this connection as many as 196 cases stand registered against them in different police stations of Jammu region.

While mainstream opposition parties and separatists are asking for immediate dissolution of the VDCs, the BJP which rules the State with regional Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) is demanding their regularization and converting them into a separate force. The BJP has also set up a separate VDC cell.

While terming the success of the shutdown call in response to his appeal a clear referendum in favour of disbanding the VDCs, Mr. Geelani said on Sunday said the silence being maintained on the issue by Chief Minister, Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, is “mysterious and criminal”. The Hurriyat Conference faction led by the octogenarian separatist leader said, “But we will continue our public awareness campaign in this regard and we will do everything to highlight the terrorism of the VDCs”.

It reiterated that the “criminal activities and terrorist acts” of the members of the VDCs is a serious situation in which the Muslims of Pir Panjal region and Chenab valley feel terrorized in the hands of communal forces and are very much concerned over the threat posed to their lives, properties and dignity. It asked as to why the Chief Minister and his daughter and ruling PDP president Mehbooba Mufti are silent over the issue and pledged the Hurriyat Conference will not leave the Muslims of Jammu at the mercy of the VDC “terrorists” and will continue its campaign for demanding the disbanding of this “criminal force”.