What ails the Valley? The fight is four pronged

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

As security agencies fight back in Kashmir there are various issues that they have to deal with. While the stone pelters are the bane in the Valley, the problem of terrorism only adds to the problem.

The fight is not just two pronged. There are multiple problems as well. They include the sermons in Mosques, the spread of propaganda through mobile phones, ideology being spread by journalists, writers and others.

Over the past year, security forces and the Intelligence Bureau have noticed that both the Mosques and the mobile phones in the Valley played a significant role in fueling violence in the state.

The public address systems in many Mosques were used to raise pro-freedom slogans and incite the youth. The mobile phone on the other hand was used to spread the propaganda and create further unrest.

The Mosques in Kashmir have always been used for separatism. The trend has been seen since 1989 when militancy broke out in a big way in the Valley.

Intelligence Bureau officials tell OneIndia that the separatists are the ones who drive these clarion calls through Mosques. They have literature, audio CDs ready in the Mosques. When they want to incite violence, they tell the Mosque authorities to use the same.

Adding to the problem is the distribution of pamphlets outside the Mosques. At times security forces have noticed bills stuck outside the Mosques in which pro-freedom slogans are written. This helps in spreading the propaganda considering that a large number of youth visit Mosques.

The problem with mobiles is also a concern. The data usage in Kashmir is very high as there is hardly any source of entertainment. This has made it easy for the preachers of hate to spread their propaganda. Groups are created and propaganda is spread. The use of WhatsApp and the social media too is very high. It has been noticed in the past year that these forums have been used to spread propaganda and incite violence, IB officials also note.

OneIndia News