Arson attacks on Kashmir schools a bid to keep Burhan fire raging: Intelligence sources

NEW DELHI: The

arson

attacks on schools in Kashmir are seen by the central security establishment as an attempt by local mischief mongers and separatists to keep the “fires burning”, now that the protests over the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist

Burhan

Wani have died down.

Sources in the intelligence agencies told TOI on Tuesday that nearly 80% of the schools attacked over the past three to four months were set on

fire

after Eid ul Adha on September 12. “By that time, the violent stone-pelting agitations had largely been brought under control. So, the trouble-makers changed their strategy and started targeting schools. This way they could deny that normalcy was back in the Valley,” said an intelligence operative.

According to a senior IPS officer, by instigating local youth to set schools on fire, those orchestrating violence in the Valley since July aimed to keep the authorities “engaged”. A J&K police officer said the arsonists, as evident from the profile of those arrested so far, are mostly uneducated and unemployed youth blindly following directions of local separatists. They may also be getting paid by “agents”.

The motive behind targeting schools goes beyond just creating unrest. Schools in Kashmir close for vacations in the winter, and are used to accommodate the security forces. “The idea is to deny the forces logistics for their stay,” said an officer. Also, given that most of the schools targeted are modern educational institutions, the agencies suspect a “radical” agenda.

An intelligence officer told TOI that though their crackdown on separatist elements and local mischief mongers in September-October had managed to break the cycle of violence in the Valley, the reluctance of the state government of late to persist with arrests and raids may have given the trouble-makers a breather to bounce back.

“We suspect local Jamaate-Islami leaders as being behind the

school

attacks. Some local boys have been identified and arrested. But certain big names in south Kashmir still roam free,” the officer conceded.

Officials feel there is a silver lining to the targeted attacks on schools in the Valley. “The civil society elements who were, until now, unwilling to take a stand against the separatists and the lead trouble-makers, are now coming out to condemn the burning of educational institutions,” said a police officer.