Kashmir situation reflects our collective failure, says IPS officer
Srinagar: An Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, Shailendra Mishra who is serving as a Senior Superintendent of Police in Srinagar, has stirred a hornets’ nest by questioning those who have been celebrating the killing or more than 200 militants in the ongoing ‘operation all out’ in South Kashmir.
Mishra, who is a trained doctor and an MBA, is posted here for nine years now. He is currently heading the IRP-II that is located at Srinagar’s Police Control Room. He has already got an army medal and the Sher-e-Kashmir police medal for his gallantry service. In his mid thirties, Mishra qualified the IPS in 2009.
Marking the ninth anniversary of the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, Jammu and Kashmir cadre IPS officer SSP Shailendra Mishra — who recently addressed a public gathering in Mumbai — termed the killing of Kashmiri militants the “collective failure” of India, news portal DailyO reported.
The video of his speech at the function, hosted by a ‘Brahmin forum’, has gone viral on the social media, the report said.
During his 15-minute address, Mishra expresses regret over the killings.
“Killing of militants is no reason to celebrate. It’s the result of our collective failure… What were the circumstances that led to the making of Burhan Wani?” Mishra asks, amid applause from the audience. He talked about Waseem Malla, a young Shopian boy, who despite being a soldier moved away and hated the system. He asked the audience to think over it.
“Nowhere in India you will see terrorism. Terrorists create a scary situation for the entire society but in Kashmir the youth have grievances with the system. They are not terrorists but have chosen violence as a weapon,” he said.
In the video, Mishra can be seen saying there is “no terrorism but militancy in Kashmir”. “I am a bureaucrat and delivering speeches is not my profession. But it’s my personal opinion that there’s no terrorism but militancy in Kashmir. Terrorism is something that unleashes terror across the society, like what recently happened in Egypt (mosque blast),” he explains.
“In Jammu and Kashmir some of our youth (militants) have complaints with the system. They are our own people. But yes, complaints with the system don’t mean that one should pick up arms. I am the son of a mill worker who lost his job in the 1980s and had to work as a watchman (to raise us).”
Mishra appealed to fellow citizens to enjoy visiting Kashmir “beyond the yatras”.
“Go to Kashmir and embrace the people there. They are part of us but are isolated for various obvious reasons,” he said.
The IPS officer said that on the counter-insurgency front, everybody is talking about the sacrifices and the valour of the army and the para-military forces. Nobody talks about the state police.
“The J&K Police, who kill the militants and face the social boycott,” he said. He referred to the local soldiers who were killed by the militants. He asked the audience to talk about all these things when they talk about Kashmir. “You need to prove you are Brahmin,” he asserted. “You properly educate your children on Kashmir.”
“A soldier who comes to his home town takes his wife and kids for an outing and people praise him for working for the safety of the country. But in Kashmir a policeman goes to his home during weekdays and he faces social boycott and is often killed,” Mishra said.
“We are bleeding in Kashmir, in last 28 years J&K Police lost 1825 persons,” Mishra said. “They did not offer their sacrifice for Kashmir, they give it to the integrity of India. Think about the families of those families,” he told the audience.
KV Correspondent
