The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a premiere trade body, condemned the killing of civilians in Kulgam.
The KCCI without mincing words, said that the killings could have been avoided had the government stopped their operations which it said is egged on by some of the people outside Kashmir as a form of false nationalism or by the Indian government for their ulterior motives as per some analysts to show their power on Kashmir’s by opting to highest degree of repression.
“On one side the CM of the state is pleading before the highest authority of the government of India to get this all stopped and on another side we are getting body bags. This is unacceptable,” the KCCI said.
The KCCI in a statement asked who is answerable for the death of the civilians. “The use of Pellets guns again has resulted in injuries in eyes which clearly shows that no SOP is being followed. All these things are happening while taking refuge to AFSPA and other repressive draconian laws,” the statement added.
The KCCI said that it is disturbing that all this is being done in disregard to the suggestions made by the state government. “A war like situation is being created in the state to make political gains needed elsewhere in the country,” the KCCI said.
In the statement the premiere body of traders asked to start negotiations with the Hurriyat and other stakeholders without any pre-conditions on both sides .
The armed forces had earlier detonated the house in Kulgam, where the militants were trapped, up by using explosives, razing it to the ground. Two adjacent houses also caught fire. To fight the trapped militants, Army had even used helicopter gun ships.
Four civilians were killed in the clashes which erupted near the gunfight site in Khudwani. However the police in a statement said that the civilians were killed in ‘crossfire’.
The civilian deaths occur just two days after Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti met the Prime Minister and Defence Minister of India. In her meeting with Narendra Modi, she had appealed for finding ways to end the bloodshed and alienation in the valley.
During her meeting with Nirmala Sitharaman, Mehbooba had called for a ‘humane approach and avoiding collateral damage during security operations’.
