Mangaluru: Bombay Residency opened

Mysuru, Jul 9: The renowned Mysore Palace has been closed on Thursday after a relative of an employee at the palace was tested COVID-19 positive, an official said.

The palace has been closed for the visitors in the view of rising COVID-19 cases. Authorities have decided to re-open the palace on Monday.

Earlier the Palace was closed for tourists for a week from March 15 to 22, in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, Mysore Palace committee said.

According to the Union Health Ministry, Karnataka has reported 28,877 COVID-19 positive cases including 16,531 active, 11,876 cured/discharged/migrated while 470 succumbed to the virus.

Belgaum, Apr 27: A CRPF COBRA commando was thrashed and dragged to police station barefoot by police allegedly for violating lockdown norms here in Belgavi district.

Sachin Savant, the CRPF commando of 207 COBRA was arrested by police personnel of Sadalga Police Station on April 23 on the alleged charges of violating lockdown norms and assaulting/deterring public servant from discharging his duty. The incident took place when the commando was cleaning his motorcycle in front of his house at Examba.

Images of the jawan being tied up in chains and the video of the incident have created furore on social media.

Calling it an "unfortunate incident", CRPF Additional Director General (Operations) Sanjay Arora wrote to Karnataka DGP Praveen Sood.

"In an unfortunate incident, Ct Sachin Savant of 207 COBRA was arrested by police personnel of Sadalga Police Station, Distt Belagavi, on Apr 23, on the alleged charges of violating lockdown norms and assaulting/deterring public servant from discharging his duty. The individual was on extended leave and cleaning his motorcycle in front of his house, at Examba, when the incident took place," Arora said in a letter to DGP.

In the video of the incident, the commando is seen standing near a bike, while multiple police personnel indulge in a verbal spat with him. A police personnel can be seen repeatedly pushing and shoving the jawan. The commando retaliates after he was attacked with a lathi by the police.

"Reportedly, a skirmish had taken place between the COBRA commando and the Beat police personnel over wearing of a mask, following which he was manhandled and ill-treated, before his family members, and paraded to the police station barefoot, where he was kept in chains and handcuff," CRPF ADG said.

He said the viral video shows that police personnel's conduct was not "citizen-centric".
Stressing that this "unpleasant situation" could have been avoided, if the Karnataka police had taken CRPF hierarchy into confidence before making the arrest, he said: "CRPF is a very reputed force, with high standards of discipline, and we have the institutionalized mechanism for taking care of such situations."
Arora asked that Karnataka DGP to get the matter inquired and provide justice.

Meanwhile, CRPF spokesperson M Dhinakaran said the bail plea of the commando will be taken up in the court on Tuesday.

"We have taken up the case with State Police Chief of Karnataka. On Tuesday, his bail plea case is coming before the court. The CRPF will be in court through a local officer. Thereafter, an investigation into the matter shall be followed up to take it to the logical conclusion," said Dhinakaran.

Giving clarification on the matter, Belgavi Superintendent of Police told media that the CRPF jawan was found roaming with friends, who ran away on seeing police. However, the jawan was caught without a mask.

"The jawan was standing without wearing a mask. When policemen on duty asked him why he is not wearing a mask, he started arguing asking them who are you to ask and I am from CRPF, thereby violating the orders promulgated by DC," he said.

The SP also claimed that the jawan lost his cool and kicked the stomach of one of the constables.

"The jawan held the collar of the police constable and started pushing him aggressively. Another head constable, who is old, came to the rescue of his fellow colleague. Later the jawan was taken to the police station and a case was registered under various sections of IPC and Section 3 of Epidemic Disease Act against him," he said.

This January 2020, it is thirty years since the Kashmiri Pundits’ exodus from the Kashmir valley took place. They had suffered grave injustices, violence and humiliation prior to the migration away from the place of their social and cultural roots in Kashmir Valley. The phenomenon of this exodus had been due to the communalization of militancy in Kashmir in the decade of 1980s. While no ruling Government has applied itself enough to ‘solve’ this uprooting of pundits from their roots, there are communal elements who have been aggressively using ‘what about Kashmiri Pundits?’, every time liberal, human rights defenders talk about the plight of Muslim minority in India. This minority is now facing an overall erosion of their citizenship rights.

Time and over again in the aftermath of communal violence in particular, the human rights groups have been trying to put forward the demands for justice and rehabilitation of the victim minority. Instead of being listened to those particularly from Hindu nationalist combine, as a matter of routine shout back, where were you when Kashmiri Pundits were driven away from the Valley? In a way the tragedy being heaped on one minority is being justified in the name of suffering of Pundits and in the process violence is being normalized. This sounds as if two wrongs make a right, as if the suffering Muslim minority or those who are trying to talk in defense of minority rights have been responsible for the pain of Kashmiri Pundits.

During these three, many political formations have come to power, including BJP, Congress, third front and what have you. To begin with when the exodus took place Kashmir was under President’s rule and V. P. Singh Government was in power at the center. This Government had the external support of BJP at that time. Later BJP led NDA came to power for close to six years from 1998, under the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Then from 2014 it is BJP, with Narerda Modi as PM, with BJP brute majority is in power. Other components of NDA are there to enjoy some spoils of power without any say in the policies being pursued by the Government. Modi is having absolute power with Amit Shah occasionally presenting Modi’s viewpoints.

Those blurting, ‘what about Kashmiri Pundits?’ are using it as a mere rhetoric to hide their communal color. The matters of Kashmir are very disturbing and cannot be attributed to be the making of Indian Muslims as it is being projected in an overt and subtle manner. Today, of course the steps taken by the Modi Government, that of abrogation of Article 370, abolition of clause 35 A, downgrading the status of Kashmir from a state to union territory have created a situation where the return of Kashmiri Pundits may have become more difficult, as the local atmosphere is more stifling and the leaders with democratic potential have been slapped with Public Safety Act, where they can be interned for long time without any answerability to the Courts. The internet had been suspended, communication being stifled in an atmosphere where democratic freedoms are curtailed which makes solution of any problem more difficult.

Kashmir has been a vexed issue where the suppression of the clause of autonomy, leading to alienation led to rise of militancy. This was duly supported by Pakistan. The entry of Al Qaeda elements, who having played their role against Russian army in 1980s entered into Kashmir and communalized the situation in Kashmir. The initial Kashmir militancy was on the grounds of Kashmiriyat. Kashmiriyat is not Islam, it is synthesis of teachings of Buddha, values of Vedant and preaching’s of Sufi Islam. The tormenting of Kashmiri Pundits begins with these elements entering Kashmir.

Also the pundits, who have been the integral part of Kashmir Valley, were urged upon by Goodwill mission to stay on, with local Muslims promising to counter the anti Pundit atmosphere. Jagmohan, the Governor, who later became a minister in NDA Government, instead of providing security to the Pundits thought, is fit to provide facilities for their mass migration. He could have intensified counter militancy and protected the vulnerable Pundit community. Why this was not done?

Today, ‘What about Kashmiri Pundits?’ needs to be given a serious thought away from the blame game or using it as a hammer to beat the ‘Muslims of India’ or human rights defenders? The previous NDA regime (2014) had thought of setting up enclosures of Pundits in the Valley. Is that a solution? Solution lies in giving justice to them. There is a need for judicial commission to identify the culprits and legal measures to reassure the Pundit community. Will they like to return if the high handed stifling atmosphere, with large number of military being present in the area? The cultural and religious spaces of Pundits need to be revived and Kashmiryat has to be made the base of any reconciliation process.

Surely, the Al Qaeda type elements do not represent the alienation of local Kashmiris, who need to be drawn into the process of dialogue for a peaceful Kashmir, which is the best guarantee for progress in this ex-state, now a Union territory. Communal amity, the hallmark of Kashmir cannot be brought in by changing the demographic composition by settling outsiders in the Valley. A true introspection is needed for this troubled area. Democracy is the only path for solving the emigration of Pundits and also of large numbers of Muslims, who also had to leave the valley due to the intimidating militancy and presence of armed forces in large numbers. One recalls Times of India report of 5th February 1992 which states that militants killed 1585 people from January 1990 to October 1992 out of which 982 were Muslims and 218 Hindus.

We have been taking a path where democratic norms are being stifled, and the promises of autonomy which were part of treaty of accession being ignored. Can it solve the problem of Pundits?