J&K: First-time stone pelters to be set free

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Thursday announced amnesty to first-time stone pelters and said that FIRs registered against more than 4,500 youth will be reviewed within 10 days, paving the way for their freedom from detention.

“It gives me immense satisfaction to restart the process of withdrawing FIRs against first-time offenders of stone pelting,” tweeted chief minister Mehbooba Mufti.

She also said that her government had initiated the process in May 2016 but it was stalled due to the unrest that followed the killing of militant Burhan Wani.

Over 11,500 cases have been registered against stone pelters since July last year when unrest broke out in Kashmir following the gunning down of Wani. Out of these, over 4,500 cases were registered against youths indulging in stone pelting for the first time, officials said. All of them have been in police lock-ups since their arrest.

Director general of police S.P. Vaid said that they are looking into the cases to ascertain who can be let off. “Some reports say 4,500 boys are first-time offenders but we are examining the cases to arrive at the number,” he said.

Earlier, a report from New Delhi had said that the Union home ministry has cleared a proposal submitted by the state government to give amnesty to first-time offenders in stone-pelting cases and that the gesture is aimed at giving a push to the ongoing peace process in the state.

A statement issued by the state government in Jammu on Thursday quoted the chief minister as saying, “I hope the initiative creates positivity and conciliatory atmosphere for the youth to build their lives.”

The statement added that the chief minister has issued formal orders for the review of cases against the youth for the period 2015-2017 (till date) by an already constituted committee and furnishing of its recommendations within 10 days.

Chief spokesperson of the PDP-BJP government and minister Naeem Akhter told this newspaper that the review of cases against the youth was a demand from various sections of society.

“If the situation remains peaceful, we may consider releasing all youth against whom there are no serious criminal charges,” he said.

The Opposition National Conference, however, said the initiative should have been taken by the state government.

“Centre’s big amnesty push”! Looks like Mehbooba Mufti’s only job is to take instructions from the Central govt. This should have been a state govt decision,” the party’s working president Omar Abdullah said in a tweet.

Meanwhile, the Centre’s special representative on J&K Dineshwar Sharma, who had reportedly endorsed the amnesty proposal, is scheduled to visit the Valley again from November 26. He will arrive in Jammu on November 24 before reaching the Valley, sources said.

Union home minister Rajnath Singh had recently asked the state government to shift juveniles from jails to remand homes and view their cases sympathetically.

The amnesty for first time stone pelters is seen as a major goodwill gesture by the Centre, coming at a time when there has been a sharp decline in the cases of stone-pelting in the Kashmir valley. A few months ago, the security agencies had appealed to young men who had joined the ranks of terrorists to heed to their families’ pleas and lay down arms.

Security forces in the Valley have said they will extend all help to terrorists who want to get back to the mainstream. Special instructions have been given to the J&Kr police to try and capture local terrorists alive. A helpline, Madadgar, with the number 1441 has also been formed to facilitate the return of such young men.