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Criminals in combat fatigues

Last week, this newspaper broke the news that officers of three diferent Rashtriya Rifles battalions in central Kashmir collaborated with a group of rogue police officers to cold-bloodedly murder at least five innocent civilians, who were then passed off as terrorists. From the evidence so far available, it is clear that the army and police officers who carried out the Ganderbal killings were not blinded by hyper-patriotism or misplaced professional zeal. Hoping for promotions and prestigious postings, a group of rogue officers set up the fake encounters. Low-level functionaries who wanted to make a few thousand rupees in reward money, or rid themselves of creditors, picked innocent people off Srinagar streets to feed their superiors' macabre scheme. The motives of the rogue army and police units in Ganderbal were money and power. However, unlike ordinary criminals who shame only themselves, the police and army personnel involved in these killings have disgraced their uniforms and their country. A commission of inquiry has been announced but it is unlikely that it will be of much value. In the months to come, the credibility of the Jammu and Kashmir government — and, to an extent, that of the United Progressive Alliance Government — will rest on the ability of police investigators to build a case that will end in convictions.

Are the Ganderbal murders just `the tip of the iceberg', as some politicians and human rights activists have charged? Have hundreds, even thousands, of similar murders been committed by security forces in Jammu and Kashmir? The available evidence, including the findings of an investigation ordered by Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Saeed in 2003, does not suggest so. At their best, India's security forces involved in internal operations have demonstrated professional discipline and restraint. However, atrocities against innocent people do take place with depressing regularity; and when they take place, there is a strong tendency to cover up and shield the guilty men in uniform. From Operation Sarp Vinash to the Ganderbal murders, the experience points to the need for better internal monitoring of army and police counter-terrorism operations. Fortunately, officials can also learn lessons from what has gone right in this case. When southern Srinagar Superintendent of Police Uttam Chand first received the missing-person complaint that led to the unravelling of the Ganderbal murders, he ensured that the case was properly investigated. His superiors, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Farooq Ahmad and Inspector-General of Police S. M. Sahai, backed the investigation even after it became clear that the findings could be explosive. Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad must be commended for throwing his weight behind the truth, no small act of courage given the fraught political climate and strategic context of his State. Policy-makers must now consider how these actions to uphold human rights and the rule of law must become the rule and not remain the exception.

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