Fragile peace in Kishtwar

PEACE in Kishtwar has always been fragile because of the near-parity of both Hindu and Muslim communities between which right wing zealots have made inroads since violence began in the 90s. The shockwaves from communal violence here travel fast and engulf both the Kashmir Valley and Jammu region. The killing of local BJP leader Anil Parihar and his brother in Kishtwar town on Thursday evening is once again keeping the authorities on their toes. The authorities have learnt their lessons from the violence in 2013 when low police strength and wrong assessment of the gravity of the situation led to three deaths and considerable destruction of property.

In the latest killing, the assassins have not been identified and, therefore, the motive cannot be firmly established. But the killing, just ahead of the panchayat elections starting on November 17, leaves no scope for doubt that the effort would have been to stir the communal cauldron for Kishtwar is no more the hotbed of militancy it once was in the early 1990s. In fact, there was no unrest even after the killing of the militant, Burhan Wani. Clearly, such a situation demands a different solution to keep the pot boiling. The killing of the BJP leaders would have been part of that piece.

A communal divide has dangerous portents and the situation in Kishtwar was not beyond the knowledge of the authorities. Selective killings have been the bane of this region that led to the formation of the Village Defence Committees (VDCs). Earlier, despite such killings, the region remained calm with most of the credit going to the people, especially the elders of the community. The slain Anil Parihar had worked in the past to avoid a communal backlash after targeted killings which did not always endear him to the party. The militancy in Kashmir has seen several unsolved killings of political leaders and peace activists. The administration and security forces need to get to the bottom of this killing at least so that the true face of those who are exploiting communal sensitivities should be exposed.