The top army commander in the Kashmir valley Lt General AK Bhat said on Saturday that army men have been instructed to show maximum restraint while confronting stone-throwing protestors at the site of a gun fight between government forces and militants.
Bhat, the head of the army’s Srinagar-based 15th corps, was speaking at a function marking the end of a 20 day programme jointly run by the army and the Pune-based Film and Television Institute of India. He said that army men only fire in self-defence when they feel there is a threat to life. “Soldiers have been asked to show self-restraint while dealing with the stone-pelting incidents. Whenever, crowd indulges in stone pelting, troopers show maximum restraint and fire only in self-defence if there is threat to life of a soldier,” he said.
He said the army is here to safeguard the life and property of the people of the state and their job is to eliminate militants who want to snatch peace from the people of Kashmir. He urged youths to avoid pelting stones and instead play their role in the development and prosperity of the state.
In response to a reporter’s question on youth taking to arms against government forces in the areas to the north of Kashmir, he said that as compared to the south, there are very few militants operating in the north. He appealed to the people to make children understand that violence will yield nothing.
The FTII in collaboration with the army provided training courses in various fields of film and television to the youths of Baramulla and such program is likely to be extended to other districts of Kashmir. During the program, around 30 young boys and girls were provided an opportunity to learn acting skills through screen acting, organised from June 25 to July 14.
While giving details and aim of this program, the organisers said that under FTII’S outreach program, short courses at the beginner’s level on screen acting and foundation course were conducted under the mentorship of PhonsokLadakhi, who is a rare combination of an actor, singer, yoga teacher and Vipasana Practitioner. The renowned actor, GudiPaintal was also invited as a special guest faculty to mentor the youths participating in the program.
The closing ceremony was attended by Lt. General AK Bhat, GOC Dagger Division, Director FTII Pune, and various dignitaries from civil and district administration, besides artists.