It is only the 5th day of 2021 (a year everyone has great expectations from) and yet, the outcry against the “oppression” is already boundless.
With so much happening all around, liberation from sufferings of all kinds seems far-fetched (in various contexts) but hope remains. One such recent incident has riled up the public.
What Is The Incident About?
On 30th December 2020, in an alleged encounter, 3 young boys were killed in the Lawaypore HMT area that lies on the outskirts of Srinagar. The Army has claimed these boys were planning to carry out a big strike on the Srinagar-Baramulla highway.
The Army also said that the boys refused to surrender, while the families of the deceased namely, Ajaz Maqbool (20), Ather Mushtaq Wani (16) and Zubair Ahmad Lone (22) have submitted applications to the authorities seeking justice and claiming their sons were mere students.
Since April 2020, the government of India has decided on not returning the bodies of militants (whether alleged or not) to their families in order to curb the recruitment of terrorists by the ISI under the veil of mass gathering. This seems acceptable if the need of the hour is considered.
Their families have been staging protests ever since and have been repeatedly asking for the bodies of their children.
Why Is The Hashtag #ReturnTheBodies Trending On Twitter?
Mehbooba Mufti, Former CM of J&K, has been leading the online protest and many people seem to agree with her on the grounds of ethics and morality.
She said, “Forget justice even their dead bodies are not being returned to the family for last rites. They have lost their beloved sons forever and in the midst of grief have to plead even for closure.’’
People have been tweeting a lot about this issue.
Instead of bringing forth the “facts & circumstances’’ the version of the Army has brought lots of displeasure and anger.
Read More: If Terrorism Has No Religion, Then Why Are Secular Parties Calling It ‘Hindu Terrorism’
What Is The Current Situation?
The government took the bodies of the young men to Sonmarg that lies on the Srinagar-Leh highway and buried them instead of returning the bodies to the families.
The families of the “slain’’ trio are by no means accepting the allegations levied against their sons and are ready to go to any measure to fight for justice. More so, the father of Athar (one of the trio) has threatened to end his life if the body is not returned for a proper burial.
All the while the Army swears by the encounter stating that the boys were involved in planning a terror attack on the Srinagar highway and released suggestive videos of the secluded house wherein the trio were killed.
The Army says that the boys refused to surrender although they were “repeatedly appealed to come out in the ground & that they would not be harmed”. The police also said that two of the three were OGWs and supported terrorists earlier.
How Far Is Not Returning Bodies Of “Militants” Ethical
Terrorism & violence have been widespread for far too long. But considering the plight of their kin, one is forced to reconsider whether it is ethical to not let a parent, a companion, or a child send their loved one (even if it is a terrorist) away for the last time.
Holding back the body of a person and not letting the kin send them away is too harsh, and even if the “militant” gets proven guilty, their family should be allowed the last rites albeit privately.
Gatherings are by all means risky and the Army has always tried to protect the nation at all costs. The best way out at the moment seems to return the bodies to the families and allow rites to be held amongst immediate relations (under the supervision of the officials, if required).
Only after that should proper and unbiased investigation commence so as to conclude whether the trio is guilty or not.
Image Sources: Google Images, Twitter
Sources: Twitter, Times Now News, The Hindu, Times of India
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This post is tagged under: ReturnTheBodies, terrorism, ISI, India, the alleged encounter of terrorists in Kashmir, should army return terrorist bodies to their families, terrorist rights, is it ethical to withhold terrorist bodies, why is Indian Army not returning the bodies, why is Mehbooba Mufti supporting return the bodies, protests in the valley
