There is yet another incidence of shoot to kill of civilians in the Kashmir valley two days ago. Two teenaged Kashmiri boys are dead, and two others are in hospital with critical injuries. Soldiers at a checkpoint fired at them without any warning.
The question arises here is Who gave them power to shoot to kill while patrolling in civilian areas without warning. The answer is simple. They will not do it without any background support and our own government is the supporter of killing (even civilian) in any disturbed areas. Government has protected all military personal from prosecution from such incidence by giving them AFSPA. The immunity that the Army gets under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act(AFSPA) gives it the impunity to use what should be the last option first. AFPSA allows soldiers to “fire upon or otherwise use force, even to the causing of death” against those violating the law; it also says “no prosecution, suit or other legal proceeding shall be instituted, except with the previous sanction of the Central Government”. The law has made them to kill first, check later whom they have killed.
The power is very much needed to counter insurgency/terrorism but in border area, not in civilian. This power has been given to protect civilian not to kill them. They have to be very much conscious in civilian areas(until it is repealed) because they are innocent and you just can't kill anyone on assumption only.
How much conscious they remain, if they have background support they will do what they like. You will not stop the killing of innocent until the support is removed. Countless violence of human rights have been carried out under the cover of this very act. Now its time to stop these violence in the name of counter insurgency/terrorism. This act is killing our own people more than the insurgent. Its time to come over from the past, from the time of social and political unrest in the states( North-east and Kashmir) when this act was required very much. Now there is no need of such harsh rule which leads to the killing of our own people.
Its not an easy decision to repeal such act as the act has become soul of armed forces. They will try to preserve the act because it helps them to act freely and quickly without any fear of persecution for their action. But if you think from humanitarian ground and from past incidences( even those which has not came into light but one who has done it,knows it), you will know that the act is not human; and it has to be repealed.
The people has chosen our new leader thinking him strong in his decision making capability. Maybe he will do what is best for us, but we always wants the act to be repealed.
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