The Kashmir correction

The Army has also decided to transfer the Commanding officer and the company commander of the Rashtriya Rifles unit after reports that a local shopkeeper, Ghulam Ahmad Mir, died in their custody at Tral in south Kashmir on February 22.

Army records show that the porters were gunned down by militants — three jawans were also killed — and Ghulam Mir died of ‘‘heart failure’’. But senior Army commanders said in both cases, the security forces ‘‘exceeded’’ their brief. In the Bandipora case, the porters were reportedly asked to search militant hideouts exposing them to grave risk. Mir is suspected to have been assaulted while in custody.

The Army has also directed its counter-insurgency formations that at least two policemen from the local station should accompany any unit conducting cordon and search operations. This step, the Army hopes, will prevent any ‘‘contrived’’ human rights violations or provocation by hardline elements who want the dialogue process to fail.

These steps come at a time when the Mufti Sayeed government is under pressure over such incidents—both Bandipora and Tral fall in the PDP stronghold of South Kashmir. And the Centre has assured the Hurriyat that it means business when it says it will crack down on ‘‘human rights violations’’ in the Valley. Sources said that given the low level of infiltration—the LoC fencing work is going full throttle—allegations of ‘‘human rights violations’’ could be the new weapon for hardliners out to derail the peace process and the Centre-Hurriyat dialogue.