Two days after Pakistan condemned the statements of Indian Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat suggesting de-radicalisation camps for radicalised youth in Kashmir, CPI (M)‘s Sitaram Yechury on Sunday, 19 January, asked the Centre to clarify on the existence of such camps.
General Rawat on Thursday, said that de-radicalisation camps are operating in the country as it was necessary to isolate people who are completely radicalised.
Condemning Rawat’s statements, the Pakistan Foreign Office said, “These remarks are reflective of the extremist mindset and bankrupt thinking that have evidently also permeated the state institutions of India.”
The foreign office said that Rawat's remarks on FATF were further proof of India's repeated attempts to politicise FATF's technical proceedings.
“Pakistan has consistently sensitised the world community about India's malicious campaign in this regard. We expect that the FATF members would reject these Indian machinations,” the foreign office said.
‘If the Camps Exist, Is Army Running Them?’: CPI (M)
Slamming Rawat and the Centre, Yechury said, “Our Central Committee has discussed the outrageous statement made by Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat. He said that there is a need to deradicalise Muslim youth including children, particularly in Kashmir. Shockingly, he said such camps are existing,” reported ANI.
He added, “We ask the Modi government to come clean and tell the country whether these camps exist or not. If they exist, is the army running them? This sort of instrument is the biggest one that has been used globally against minorities.”
In an address at the Raisina Dialogue, General Rawat, delving into the situation in Kashmir, said girls and boys as young as 10 and 12 years are being radicalised in the Valley which he described as a matter of concern.
“These people can still be isolated from radicalisation in a gradual way. But there are people who have been completely radicalised. These people need to be taken out separately, possibly taken to some de-radicalisation camps.”General Bipin Rawat, Chief of Defence Staff
General Rawat had said that Pakistan, too, has de-radicalisation camps.
"Let me tell you even Pakistan is doing the same. Pakistan also has de-radicalisation camps as they have understood that the terrorism that they have been sponsoring is actually hitting back at them," General Rawat said.
It is for the first time a top-ranking official publicly has talked about existence of de-radicalisation camps in India.
‘De-Radicalisation Camps Nothing New’: Union Minister
Endorsing Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat's comments, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy on Friday said that the Army has been running de-radicalisation camps since ages.
Defending Rawat, who was attacked incessantly by the opposition parties, which said he cannot comment on civilian issues as he was from the defence services, Reddy said the de-radicalisation camps issue indeed pertains to the Army and was not a civilian issue.
"He never spoke on civilian issues. He spoke on the security angle of the country. He never spoke about political and civilian issues,” Reddy told PTI.
Several political leaders, including AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury had hit out at Rawat, saying the CoD is meddling with civilian issues.
Speaking at a public meeting at Adilabad on Thursday night, Owaisi said de-radicalisation was needed for those who lynch and kill innocent Dalits and Muslims.
"This is deeply condemnable and shocking. A military commander has no business saying this. It shows the weakness of the political leadership and is detrimental to Indias case on Kashmir," Yechury tweeted on Thursday.
Identifying radicalisation is a major challenge, he said, adding it can be countered with effective programme.
‘Important to Isolate People Who’ve Been Radicalised’
General Rawat said containing radicalisation is key to effectively combat terrorism, adding radicalised young people were involved in pelting security forces with stones in Kashmir.
“You got to start looking at where the radicalisation is taking place. Who are the people involved in radicalising the people. It is happening in schools, universities, from religious places and sites, and then there are group of people who are spreading this,” he said.
The former army chief said it was important to isolate people who have been radicalised.
"You have to start isolating these people gradually and then start a counter radicalisation programme by identifying people who have been radicalised and to what degree,” he said.
"You have to segregate them... Then look at those who have been completely radicalised. First target them and then also start looking at the future, like what we have seen in Kashmir," he said.
On pelting of stones on security forces in Kashmir, General Rawat said the stones used were as lethal as pellet guns. "We have had casualties including death being caused because of stone pelting."
The former army chief also claimed people in Kashmir suffered pellet wounds on their faces and eyes when they tried to pick up stones from the ground.
"The security forces were not aiming for the face. They aimed for the leg. But the face gets hurt when people tried to pick up stones from the ground," he said.
General Rawat said an impression is being created that Indian Army has been heavy-handed in Kashmir.
"Indian Army had to be heavy handed in the initial phases of the proxy war when it was launched in early 1990s. Thereafter we are not using such an approach," he said.
(With inputs from ANI)
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