Let’s be humans instead of hypocrites and accept that in Kashmir there are no human rights for a common Kashmiri, & powerful upper class denies this fact just for sake of their interests from ruling regime. Students face most of the heat in the Kashmir from being interrogated; detained just for a mere doubt; prosecuted for speaking up; no freedom to express their opinions through student political forum. Students in Kashmir live in constant terror. The non availability of proper ways for expressing their views, & total denial from ruling regime, from state to center leads them to a state where few choose stones as a mean of expressing their anger, opinions, demands, and some choose Gun as way to fight oppressive, tyrannical ruling class. In early 1990’s it was said that militants are brainwashed illiterates, recently highly qualified Kashmiri youth have joined militant ranks alarming security agencies of India. People have come out during recent operations that were carried out against these newly young rebels of Kashmir. Remaining portion of students who just come under normal criteria mostly leave Kashmir for studies, but being Kashmiri was never going to let them live in peace there too. List of assaults on Kashmiri students is too long in India. Recently, what happened at Sharda University where a Kashmiri student was beaten by fellow Indian students there. Police has booked 350 Indian , Afghani students for rioting & related offences. Reports in Indian Express quoted a police official, who said that there was lack of cooperation from University & careless approach on matter led to this situation. In another separate incident at Rajpura, Punjab, two students namely Gazi Ahmad Malik studying in Diploma 3rd semester & Mir Imran of 3rd semester (LEET) at Aryans collage of Engineering, Nepra, were detained by authorities who claimed to be JK Intelligence. Later on the students were found to be innocent, and were in fact detained for some previous case related to someone else as claimed by College authorities. No one was informed about their detention, Imran was released within a day, & Gazi was taken to Kashmir for further investigation. When Mir Imran came to college his friends were shocked to see him as he was physically assaulted & due to which he still suffers from trauma. Every student is asking what was his crime?
Another angry student from Aryans College said that when Shikara app was launched Kashmiri students were heroes for Aryans College, now we are stopped to comment on detention of our fellow students, after news broke in What’s App group of college, admin stopped students to know further news of our friend’s whereabout as admin changed privacy of group. Well, college authorities here have acted well not letting to escalate situation further. This Student shared many problems that he & his friends face; recently he & his friend was travelling in auto, they were over charged by auto driver. According to him when he questioned auto driver about over charging he & his female friend received vicious behavior from the other end ,they preferred to pay extra fair than to end up in Sharda like incident where a student was beaten ruthlessly & no one acted because he was a Kashmiri. This all hate campaign against Kashmiris is going on in Indian media that claims to be nationalist, they my be nationalist but they are definitely anti Human & against Kashmiriyat. When people on TV channels debate on Kashmir they must first know what it is to be a Kashmiri & what one has to face being a Kashmiri in India. No matter what Indian media calls those Rebels & those who exchange stones with army for bullets & pellets they are considered Heroes by Local Kashmiris, they are followed by younger generation, praised by old, sung by womens in their local songs. In all this struggle, political drama, Free hand to Police & army; Human perspective is forgotten, Reports by various Human right organization likes of AMINESTY International clearly reflects the doings of Army & police in Kashmir. In Kashmir Young are embracing death with pride, old praising death, women sing happily death of a young man. Kashmiris seem not to be afraid of Death any more, death that terrifies all humans around globe, death that couldn’t be defeated by none.
|
In history of mankind, it was only Imam Hussein (a) & his companions at Karbala that have defeated death & it seems Kashmiris are following Karbala in their struggle. Where Imam Hussein said “Death with dignity is better than a life of humiliation” that is why death does not terrorizes Kashmiris now any more. This year Kashmir continues to witness Burhan wani’s banners in Muharram Processions, Shias,who face a ban on Muharram processions through historical routes in heart of Srinagar & excuse by Government authorities given for this is that in route of Procession there are majority Sunni areas & it can lead to sectarian tensions.let us talk about 8th Muharram route that is from Shaheed Gunj through Jehangir chowk, Residency road, TRC road to Dal gate. Even a tourist can say that these routes are commercial & most patrolled by security agencies and are safest among all more over no sunni seems to have problem in Shia mourning & Sunnis too mourn Muharram in their own ways. Not even a follower of Yazid ibn Muawiyah would have that much guts to pelt a Shia Muslim in Kashmir. Every kashmiri asks one question when Amarnath Yatra is given so much freedom & security why not Shias? This explains hypocrisy of ruling class from Srinagar to Delhi.
Recently Government of India after 15 years introduced back CASO. Cordon and search is a military tactic to cordon off an area and search the premises for weapons or insurgents. It is one of the basic counter insurgency operations & with Reintroduction of CASO Locals recall old terror & sufferings, Youth, Students have always been biggest victim of undeclared war that is going on in Kashmir. Two types of cordon and search operations are cordon and knock and cordon and kick (or cordon and enter). Crackdown was the name given to search operations in early 1990s. It was a household name in Kashmir for almost one decade. During a crackdown all the male population was ordered to assemble in some open place and soldiers from Army, Border Security Force (BSF) or Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) would start house to house search to check presence of armed fighters / militants or weapons. People would be taken out for identification parades before the arrested or surrendered militants or Over Ground Workers (OWGs) of militants who would be kept inside military jeeps. They were called CATS. Kashmiris very rarely use a Kashmiri or Urdu word (Talashi) for crackdowns. After decline in militancy, the frequency of village, mohalla or town crackdowns also declined especially by the end of 1990. From last few years, Kashmir valley especially the villages in South Kashmir are again witnessing crackdowns. A new word CASO (Cordon and Search Operation) has been devised for these search operations. Which indicates situation in Kashmir have worsen and Government of India’s policy of iron first has failed completely Indian media may be hailing Modi Govt. but on ground this Govt. has alienated Kashmir more from rest of rest of India. The face of Indian army that a Mumbaikars or Delhiets see is different from that what a Kashmiri sees. Governments have failed to win hearts of Kashmiris. We have nothing except hope that peace will prevail in our father land Kashmir soon.
(The author a content writer and social activist contributes regularly for “Kashmir Horizon”. His views are personal)