Srinagar: After the recent killing of seven civilians by the armed forces at the gunfight site in village Sirnoo in Pulwama district evoked wide-spread anger triggering a debate whether the standard operating procedures (SoP) of forces was faulty, security grid of Kashmir have started ‘fine-tuning its encounter strategy to prevent repeat of Pulwama incident.’
Reliable sources revealed to KNS that forces were ‘reprimanded’ by the Governor S P Malik and his security advisor Vijay Kumar for the civilian killings in Sirnoo where three local militants were also killed.
Forces said that the gunfight took place in an open field, where youth from all directions tried to march towards the “spot where militants were cornered” and in the heavy exchange of firing seven civilians got killed.
However, while on one hand, the killing of seven civilians triggered a three-day long shutdown in Kashmir amid protests, Governor Malik asked forces to follow the SOP in true letter and spirit besides “streamlining their synergy while engaging themselves in counter insurgency operations.”
Governor’s advisor Vijay Kumar too chaired a meeting in Jammu and passed similar directions to the forces: “Follow the SoP to ensure civilian causalities don’t occur.”
A source said that all the security agencies have been in a huddle since past many days to “find out what went wrong in Sirnoo.”
“It has unanimously been decided that the law and order component will be further strengthened to deal with the protesters who try to inch closer to the encounter sites in a bid to help militants flee,” the source said. “All the measures will be taken to fine tune the SOPs, to prevent collateral damage.”
A top police officer confirmed that police, CRPF and the army top officials have held a series of meetings to fine-tune the SoPs just to ensure no civilian causality takes place during counter insurgency operations.
“Various layers of cordons will be further strengthened to ensure zero collateral damage. As far as blowing up of houses is concerned, forces only resort to that when there is firing from the other side,” he said, wishing anonymity.
Seven civilians were killed after armed forces opened fire on civilian protesters near the site of a gunfight in Kharpora Sarnoo village of Pulwama district last week. Three militants and an army man were killed in the gunfight.
The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) while condemning the Pulwama Civilian Killings, in a statement, called it a ‘wicked terrorist act’.
In a statement, the OIC said, “The OIC General Secretariat condemned this terrorist act and called upon the international community to play its role in order to reach a just and lasting solution to the conflict in Kashmir, in accordance with the relevant international resolutions adopted by the OIC and the UN Security Council, and fulfill the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.”
National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah while reacting on the killings had said that it is a massacre and there is no other way to describe it.
Earlier, Abdullah while reacting to the civilian killings had said that it was ‘another blood soaked weekend in Kashmir‘.
PDP President Mehbooba Mufti while reacting to the civilian killings said that there would be no probe which would bring back the dead. She also asked that ‘is this what was expected from the Governor rule’.
She also said that no country can win a war by killing its own people.
Peoples’ Conference chief Sajad Lone while reacting on the civilian killings said that the administration seriously needs to evaluate the cost of such operations. He added that ‘hope the administration gives up its ‘Rambo mindset‘.
Police, in their statement said that they were ‘deeply grieved’ by the loss of civilian lives, however, claimed that the crowd came ‘dangerously close‘ to the gunfight site.
(With inputs from KNS)
