the big story

The picture of a killing in Kashmir

The TLDR: A 65-year-old man—accompanied by his grandchild—was killed in Sopore. There are two wildly different versions of how he died—the official narrative and that offered by Bashir Ahmed’s family. At the heart of this battle to define the ‘truth’ is a traumatized three-year old and photos taken right at the moment of his grandfather’s death. It’s a rude reminder of the greater tragedy that has been unfolding in Kashmir since August 2019. And a necessary reminder of rising militancy in the state.

What happened here?

That is the hardest question to answer when it comes to anything that happens in Kashmir. Here are two very different versions of the killing.

The official version: Two Lashkar-e-Taiba militants opened fire on security forces from inside a nearby mosque. One CRPF soldier died, and three were injured. According to a CRPF spokesperson, Bashir Ahmed was caught in the crossfire: 

“A civilian vehicle which was coming from Sopore to Kupwara was caught in the firing range of terrorists. An old man who was driving the vehicle stopped the car and got down from the vehicle to move away for a safe spot but got killed by terrorists firing. Later the young boy was rescued by (security forces) who took position nearby.”

The family’s version: Here’s what Ahmed’s nephew says:

“We received a call, telling us someone has killed your uncle on the road. Then we went to the spot and asked some people present there what happened. They told us that the militants attacked the security forces and, in that process, they lost numerous persons...

 

To take revenge, they took my uncle out of his car, while his grandson was in his lap, and they shot at him in the back. He was dead on the spot. Local residents watched the scene through their windows”.

The Wire also spoke to the child—the clip of that interview is here. (FYI: We’re extremely ambivalent about reporters interviewing a traumatized three year old, and the family allowing media access to him so soon after the tragedy.)

Also this: The family accused security forces of staging photos and clips of the child at the scene of the killing. Ahmed’s distraught wife said: “The boy’s clothes are soaked with blood. His grandfather’s body was soaked with blood. He (boy) was kept on his body after the grandfather was killed.”

Tell me about this photo, please!

Soon after the killing, Twitter was awash with photos and video clips of the child at the scene of the tragedy. The most heartbreaking: an image of him sitting on top of his dead grandfather’s body. The most respectful version of that photo is here. 

There were also other photos. One of him walking away from the body and toward an armed soldier, and another of him sitting on the lap of a police officer. There’s also a clip of the child crying inside a police van (no, we won’t be linking to any of them but they are available on Twitter). 

Who shared these images?

Some were shared by the police, while others were tweeted out by BJP leaders—who blamed the militants for the killing, and took aim at “apologists” for terrorism. But the worst of the lot was a tweet by party spokesperson, Sambit Patra who shared the worst photo (unblurred) with the message: “PULITZER LOVERS??” It was intended as a jibe at the two photographers who won the Pulitzer earlier this year for their images of Kashmir under the lockdown imposed in August.

But all this hue and cry raised a bigger question: Who took these photos?

Who?

The Telegraph spoke to a photojournalist who arrived on the scene soon after the killing. He says: “Somebody else did it. The encounter started at 7.15am and ended in the next 15 minutes. I reached the spot around 7.45am and there were already a couple of photojournalists there. As far as I know, none of us clicked them.”

Also telling: The first set of images were shared by top Kashmir police officials and its official handle. When asked about them, even the state’s Inspector General of Police (IGP) tacitly conceded that security forces were involved: 

“Going to the operation area with mobiles is wrong. I will ensure police teams going for operations don’t carry mobiles along as that may pose a threat to their lives. Whoever has shared his pictures will have to face action.”

Point to note: Revealing the face of a minor witness’ identity is a violation of the Juvenile Justice Act. All these photos and clips were shared without blurring the child’s face.

Is this the new normal in Kashmir then?

Security forces have been cracking down on militancy over the past six months. And civilians have often been collateral damage in these encounters. A four-year old was killed in the crossfire on June 26. According to a NGO report, 80 civilians were killed in Kashmir last year in a variety of such incidents.

And this militancy is getting worse?

It depends on which stat you consider. According to security officials, 118 militants including top commanders of top terrorist outfits were killed in various gun battles this year. OTOH, 107 of them were local Kashmiris. 

Also notable: The formation of ‘The Resistance Front’ (TRF)—a new terror outfit which has claimed credit for an increasing number of attacks since the Covid-19 lockdown. Twenty members of security forces were killed within a two-week period in April. 

Indian security officials claim that TRF is just another name for the same old Pakistani-controlled terror outfits like LeT. But its recruits are mostly young Kashmiri men—some of whom have received training in Pakistan. A national security expert points out that three of the local militants killed in a recent encounter had travelled to Pakistan to be trained and armed: 

“This is perhaps the first instance when local Kashmiris cross LoC to get trained across the border since the emergence of the new militancy. The new militancy in Kashmir hasn’t seen any Pakistan trained Kashmiri militants till this incident.”

The bottomline: An Indian Express reporter visited Ahmed’s family home and met the child. Here’s how the story opens: “The three-year-old pretends his hand is a gun, turns the index finger towards himself, acts as if he is pulling the trigger, and mimics the sound of gunshots.” Is there anything left to say?

Reading List

• The Print has the best overview of the tragedy. It also offers the best read on the rise of the TRF.
• The Telegraph looks at who took the photo of the child.
• The Wire has the interview with the child. Also: the crackdown on militancy in the Valley.
• Scroll looks at the rise of militancy among young Kashmiris since August.