NEYAZ ELAHI
BUREAU CHIEF CENTRAL KASHMIR:
In the first month of this year by witnessing two unfortunate incidents,police detained and barred two youth from appearing in their examination. First incident occurred in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district and another in North Kashmir when Police ‘illegally’ detained a Final year student of journalism for few hours just because he was not having an identity card with him. A ‘ccountability- deficit’,encouraged some police officers to the extent that they act on law of rule rather than rule of law. It signifies that in Jammu and Kashmir particularly in Valley no law exists and in the name of security and militancy any police officer can justify the ‘illegal’ act. By Taking the example of Jibran Nazir Dar, a final year student from Model Town Sopore who according to students was illegally detained and barred from appearing in his final year examination.
It is not criticise the institution but the people at higher echelons by shielding such nefarious elements, in the name of security encourage the police officers, who are nothing but a big slur. India became one of 135 countries to make education a fundamental right of every child when the act came into force on 1 April 2010. The Indian law clearly makes it clear that even a criminal of highest degree can’t be barred from obtaining education or appearing in examination. We have thousands of examples when in Indian jails, policemen accompanied accused to examination centres to allow them to appear in any damn subject. But in Kashmir valley the situation is altogether different, here the subject is neither a convict nor a criminal and yet police bar him from appearing in his examination paper. Why don’t an inquiry be initiated against top police officials posted in Pulwama who barred an alleged stone-pelter from appearing in his 10th class paper and why can’t we initiate action against Deputy Superintendent Operations Baramulla for detaining a final year student on the day when he was supposed to appear in one of the journalism subjects.
Although Jammu and Kashmir has its own Constitution and as per section 20 clause i and ii subscribes for free and compulsory education up to college standard and below 14 as compulsory. The Indian law is clear about the students. If you detain a student, accompany him or her to the examination centre when he or she is supposed to appear in examination centre, but alas the situation in Kashmir is totally different. Leave aside a stone-pelter or an arrogant citizen, even a dreaded terrorist has his rights. According to the father of a Pulwama youth Hussain Mir his son was supposed to appear in his Science subject examination and despite repeated pleas, Pulwama police did not listen to anything and ruined the career of his son. Irshad Hussain Mir a resident of Rahmoo Pulwama was arrested by Pulwama police on charges of stone pelting.
Let us assume for a moment that he was a stonepelter and yet the police had no right to bar him from appearing in the examination. It according to law was the prime duty of the police to accompany him to the examination centre and allow him to appear in the examination, but alas, the policemen didn’t do that. A particular police officer ruined the career of Sopore student just because he confronted him. The irony is that the student was neither a militant nor their sympathizer and yet he was detained to make him believe that police can do anything whatever they like.
“I had hurt the ego of the police officer and that is why he wrongfully detained me. The illegal act of that police officer made me believe that there is every reason to hate India,” the victim student was quoted as saying. Before concluding this write up I want to make it clear that I am not criticizing the police institution but only a few officers who are a slur in the fair name of the institution. These particular officers need to be checked, and shown the door in the interest of general public and India as a whole.
(The writer is also Executive Editor Current News Service and can be mailed at [email protected]
