Almost 90% of stone-pelting incidents after J&K move were in Srinagar

NEW DELHI: Of the nearly 250 stone-pelting incidents in the Valley between August 5 and 22, around 220 were reported from Srinagar alone. In contrast, Pulwama, the hub of terror activity in recent years, recorded just six stone-pelting protests over the 18 days since restrictions were imposed in view of the defanging of Article 370 in J&K .
After August 6, stone-pelting incidents in the Valley have followed a downward graph, but for a brief spike on Fridays and around Independence Day.On August 6 — the day Parliament cleared the resolution to withdraw J&K’s special status — stone-pelting incidents rose by three times as compared to the previous day. By August 7, they declined only to climb on Friday (August 9) ahead of Eid-ul-Zuha. Post-Eid, stone-pelting cases went into a downward spiral, clocking a single-digit daily figure, but then rose the next Friday before resuming the slide. In fact, just two incidents targeted at the CRPF were recorded across the Valley on August 22.
The highest number of stone-pelting incidents recorded in Kashmir in a single day after the end of special status was 44, on August 6.

The nearly 250 stone-pelting protests between August 5-22 across the valley left 56 CRPF personnel injured and around 25 force vehicles damaged. These numbers are way lower than those recorded in the aftermath of the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani in 2016. As many as 338 stone-pelting incidents were reported from across the Valley between July 8 and 25, 2016. Over 1,460 CRPF personnel were injured in the protests and more than 200 force vehicles damaged.

After the withdrawal of special status for J&K, stone-pelting protests seem to have lost their sting with most of them triggered by small groups. The youth who operate in these small groups often come out of their houses, hurl stones and retreat to their hiding places.
The district-wise distribution of stone-pelting protests shows that the miscreants are mostly active in Srinagar, with the remaining districts of Pulwama, Baramulla, Bandipore, Budgam and Ganderbal together accounting for barely 12% of the total incidents. For instance, the lowest stone-pelting cases were in Ganderbal at three and the highest in Baramulla (10). An officer explained that Srinagar is the focus of stone-pelters as it is politically important and also gets them the maximum media attention.
During the violence witnessed in the latter half of 2016, Srinagar had witnessed the highest number of stone-pelting incidents at 99, followed by 55 incidents in Pulwama, 47 in Anantnag, 43 in Baramulla and 31 in Budgam.
Soura in Srinagar, which has traditionally been a hub of unrest, is a problem area this time as well. According to a senior J&K police official, the latest stone-pelting incidents and protests in Soura are mostly by leaderless mobs. These are sporadic protests by residents among whom separatist sentiments are known to run high. “These protests have, however, been controlled with the use of minimum force and no loss of life,” said an officer.