It was another day of protests in South Kashmir. This time too it was an excess committed by the men in uniform as a speeding army vehicle crushed a nine year old innocent girl to death.

The incident has sparked protests in many areas of South Kashmir to the extent that almost three dozen people have suffered injuries owing to the reaction by troops that followed the protests.

The protests in South Kashmir have failed to die down for almost more than a year now. The hardly visible days of silence or peace, during this period can be numbered on fingertips. This shows the extent of anger and resentment among the population in the area.

Besides, a clear indication that protest against the armed forces are just a reason away, and that trigger that can set off things can be an encounter between troops and militants or forces action against the people or as in today’s case, forces vehicle getting involved in yet another murder, that too of an innocent nine year old kid.

Let us not get into the history of events and the reasons that why it takes time for the government machinery to tackle such kind of incidents-where prompt action could have been initiated at the very onset and things could have been controlled before they actually get out of hand. Because after all, we are being ruled by a group which we have had the privilege to elect and ensure our safety and security.

If we go by the principle of living in a democratic era, then the people’s will in this case is just to ensure justice to the kin of the slain kid who was crushed to death by a speeding army vehicle. This demand by the people is no rocket science that those who wield power are not able to understand this small a demand.

In fact the administration should have been prompt enough as the erring driver or even the controlling head of the army unit, should have been charged with murder and action initiated by the local police. 

After all the very idea of a representative democracy, or a republic, is premised on the implementation of the will of the people. Or, because we live in a world where the residents have no rights-the case may be otherwise as twenty-five-hundred years ago, Aristotle captured the essence of self-government when he replied to a question of public policy: “Well, what do the people say?”

Guest