Supreme Court Directs States to Take ‘Prompt’ Action to Prevent Attacks on Kashmiris
NEW DELHI : The Supreme Court Friday directed chief secretaries and DGPs of 11 states to take “prompt” and necessary action to prevent incidents of threat, assault and social boycott of Kashmiris in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi also directed that police officers, who were earlier appointed as nodal officers to deal with incidents of mob lynching, would be now responsible to deal with cases of alleged assault on Kashmiris.
The bench asked the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to give wide publicity to nodal officers so that they can be approached by those facing such incidents. “The chief secretaries, the DGPs and the Delhi Police Commissioner are directed to take prompt and necessary action to prevent incidents of threat, assault, social boycott etc. against Kashmiris and other minorities,” the bench also comprising Justice Sanjiv Khanna said.
The 10 states are Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Meghalaya, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Punjab and Maharashtra. Supreme Court advocate Tariq Adeeb, who filed the petition on Thursday along with a request for urgent hearing, also mentioned controversial tweets by Meghalaya Governor Tathagata Roy who endorsed a call to boycott “everything Kashmiri”. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi said the police officers who were appointed as nodal officers to deal with incidents of mob lynching will now be responsible to deal with cases of alleged assault on Kashmiris.
The court told the Home Ministry to give wide publicity of the nodal officers’ contact details so that those who need help can approach them easily. “The chief secretaries, the DGPs and the Delhi Police Commissioner are directed to take prompt and necessary action to prevent incidents of threat, assault, social boycott against Kashmiris and other minorities,” said the bench also comprising Justice Sanjiv Khanna.Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah appreciated the court’s order.
The government has said those who disturb peace or spread rumour will face severe punishment. Helplines also have been launched by the police in several states. The Central Reserve Police Force, which lost over 40 of its soldiers in the terror strike, has asked those who need help to contact them via a helpline. Three days after the attack on the CRPF convoy last week, the Home Ministry had told all the states and Union Territories to ensure the safety of people from Jammu and Kashmir after it received reports of harassment and threats against them, as the nation mourned the deaths of the soldiers.(With Agency Reports).
