Srinagar
While the Jammu and Kashmir police celebrated the killing of more than 200 militants in Kashmir as part of “Operation All Out” in 2017”, a speech by a young IPS officer posted in Kashmir has questioned the success of the very exercise.
PHOTO BY BILAL BAHADUR
Marking the ninth anniversary of the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, Jammu and Kashmir cadre IPS officer SSP Shailendra Mishra — who recently addressed a public gathering in the port city — termed the killing of Kashmiri militants the “collective failure” of India, news portal Dailyo reported. The video of his speech at the function, hosted by a Brahmin forum, has gone viral on the social media, the report said.
In his 15-minute address, Mishra expresses regret over the killings. “Killing of militants is no reason to celebrate; it’s the result of our collective failure… What were the circumstances that led to the making of Burhan Wani?” Mishra asks, amid applause from the audience. He talked about Waseem Malla, a young Shopian boy, who despite being soldier moved away and hated the system. He asked the audience to think over it.
In the video, Mishra can be seen saying there is “no terrorism but militancy in Kashmir”. “I am a bureaucrat and delivering speeches is not my profession. But it’s my personal opinion that there’s no terrorism but militancy in Kashmir. Terrorism is something that unleashes terror across the society, like what recently happened in Egypt (mosque blast),” he explains.
“In Jammu and Kashmir some of our youth (militants) have complaints with the system. They are our own people. But yes, complaints with the system don’t mean that one should pick up arms. I am the son of a mill worker who lost his job in the 1980s and had to work as a watchman (to raise us).”
Mishra appealed to fellow citizens to enjoy visiting Kashmir “beyond the yatras”.
But then, it’s not the first time that Mishra, a 2009 batch IPS in 30s, is making news for his comments. Mishra’s remarks have led to a stir.
The IPS officer said that on the counter-insurgency front, everybody is talking about the sacrifices and the valour of the army and the para-military forces. Nobody talks about the state police, the J&K POlice, who kill the militants and face the social boycott. He referred to the local soldiers who were killed by the militants. He asked the audience to talk about all these things when they talk about Kashmir. “You need to prove you are Brahmin,” he asserted. “You properly educate your children on Kashmir.”
“We are bleeding in Kashmir, in last 28 years J&K Police lost 1825 persons,” Mishra said. “They did not offer their sacrifice for Kashmir, they give it to the integrity of India. Think about the families of those families.”
Mishra, a trained medical doctor and an MBA, is posted in Kashmir for nine years. He is currently heading the IRP-II that operates from Srinagar’s Police Control Room. He has a;lready got an army medal and teh Sher-e-Kashmir police medal as well.
