Indian State's legitimacy hit in Kashmir: CPI-M

Accusing security forces of behaving "as if Kashmir is an occupied territory", the CPI-M has said that the "legitimacy of the Indian State in Kashmir has taken a serious knock".

An editorial in the CPI-M journal "People's Democracy" also accused the Indian government of refusing to recognise that it was dealing with a situation "where the mass of the people have risen in protest" following the July 8 killing of a top militant commander, Burhan Wani.

"The Indian State and the security forces behave as if Kashmir is an occupied territory. Civilian protestors are dealt with in the same manner as armed militants," the editorial said.

"The efforts of the government to pin the blame on Pakistan for fomenting trouble will be dismissed both inside the country and outside.

"The government is refusing to recognise that they are dealing with a situation where the mass of the people have risen in protest. The lead has been taken by the young people and not the Hurriyat leaders.

"The legitimacy and the credibility of the Indian State in Kashmir has taken a serious knock," added the Communist Party of India-Marxist.

The editorial urged the Narendra Modi government to adopt a path of political dialogue with all shades of opinion in Jammu and Kashmir and to unleash confidence building measures by substantially reducing the security structures in the state particularly in the civilian areas.

--IANS

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