Plagued by the widespread condemnation on executing a spree of killings in Kashmir Valley, the police and paramilitaries are again in a spot for a different reason. A raw and undated video has surfaced in which police and paramilitaries are flocking a group of youth, completely stripped and hurling choicest of abuses at them. The youngsters, all in mid-20’s are apparently herded towards an unknown police station for detention. The three to four youngsters are said to be stone-throwers as one of the cops is overhead saying that the boys had engaged them since the morning.
The video was uploaded on the Youtube on Tuesday by some untraced person. It immediately made space on the social networking site facebook and thousands of users uploaded and shared the video. “This is worse than Abu Ghuraib”, wrote a furious Facebook user. “The real face of Indian democracy in Kashmir”, was another comment in hundreds of responses to the video.
A keen observation of the video suggests that it is not a recent grab.
“The video has been shot on a mobile phone in afternoon. The season appears to be post harvest season in October”, a student of mass communications said.
The naked boys are herded through open and untilled paddy fields. The boys have been ordered to hold their clothes in hands and walk straight without looking around. They follow the directions in the middle of a large contingent of police and paramilitary personnel brandishing automatic weapons.
“Hold your clothes and hands up. Don’t cover the front (private parts)”, a cop is heard ordering the beleaguered boys. A naked boy is holding his denim trousers and shirt in one hand and under garments in the other.
Observers say that the video has apparently been shot by the same cop who is flinging invectives on the boys and issuing directions to them. “His voice is clearer and seems to be closest to the shooting device. The shots have been taken from different angles during the boys’ long walk towards the unknown destination”, the mass communication student, who wishes anonymity said.
Police have not reacted to the video. Sources said that the video has been shot somewhere in north Kashmir near Sopore. There are no confirmations, however. At least two boys and a bearded policeman are to some extent recognisable in the clip.
The video is likely to embarrass the police and security forces, who are in a tight spot following the recent killings in the Valley. Many videos of police exposing highhandedness or brutality shot clandestinely by residents have been uploaded on Youtube and social networking sites on the internet.
Reacting to the latest expose, the CRPF spokesman Prabhakar Tripathi said the modern technology has made it possible to create video clips easily. The clip in question, he said, was the handiwork of the people who want to harm the image of the force.
Minister for Rural Development, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Ali Mohammad Sagar also questioned the authenticity of the clip.
“I doubt the authenticity of the video clip. Forces cannot indulge in such immoral activities. However, if proven, stern action will be initiated (against the guilty),” Sagar said.
