New Delhi: The public burial process of local terrorists in Kashmir has become a recruitment tool for terror organisations. To prevent this, the Narendra Modi government is considering a new process under which burials will be undertaken ‘in camera’, with only close family members in attendance.
“The idea is to hand over the body to the family and then hold the burial in front of the local magistrate. Section 144 will be strictly imposed, and no one else will be allowed to attend. Also, the entire event would be filmed,” a source in the security establishment told ThePrint.
The proposed new process goes against the earlier thinking of the security establishment, which was to not hand over the bodies. The issue has been discussed and approved by a key security team and a final decision is set to be taken by the central government soon.
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Fuelling resentment
Since the beginning of this year, efforts have been made, successfully in many cases, to increase the deployment of security forces in and around slain militants’ home areas, to ensure that proper blockades are set up to check the size of the gathering.
The emotionally-charged gatherings are a breeding ground for terror recruitment in the state, officials in the security and defence establishment said.
Since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on 8 July 2016, terror handlers and recruiters have been using janazas for recruitment.
The death of Wani had triggered a wave of unrest in the Kashmir Valley, with hundreds of people turning out to protest against his encounter. Terror recruiters are said to fuel the sentiment of resentment triggered by the killings, and glorify the deaths as ‘martyrdom’.
“The youngsters are taken in by the frenzy and many end up joining the terror ranks, even if for a few days. The last six months in Kashmir have seen much reduced recruitment taking place,” one of the sources cited above said.
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Amit Shah’s Kashmir strategy
Sources said the direction from the new Union Home Minister Amit Shah during his two-day visit to Kashmir was “zero tolerance for terrorists, terror financiers and radicals”.
On-going operations by the Army, CRPF, Jammu and Kashmir Police, National Investigation Agency, Enforcement Directorate and the Income Tax Department will continue and intensify in the coming days.
“This is not the time to ease off. The pressure on the terror infrastructure in the Valley will be constant. At the same time, special focus is being given to governance issues, with many stalled and delayed projects being given renewed push,” another source explained.