Azad Hussain
A stereotype by some fringe elements is being created among the people of India to demonize the image of Kashmiri people as a whole, which is evident from frequent assaults on them one after other seen in different states of India. But those goons fail to understand that by doing such infamous acts they demonize themselves, before the people of their own country and before the people of whole world. The recent incident in Lucknow the capital city of Utter Pradesh in which two Kashmiri street vendors were severely thrushed by the goons in safran Kurtas, is another testimony for the fact that how safe the Kashmiris are in India. In a video of the incident gone viral on social media, a person was seen asking attackers ” why are you beating them “, he just gets an illogical answer “Yae Kashmiri Hain”. Though, they are fringe elements, who take the law in to their own hands and beat the people of Kashmir at public places like in the busiest markets in broad daylight for none of the reasons other than their identity of being Kashmiris. But who backs them by providing them the confidence and motivation for breaking the law and then providing them the shelter against the law, is a question of which the answer is known to everyone.
Such incidents are not new in India but have been witnessed also in past mostly happening with the students from Kashmir pursuing education in different states of India, however the frequency of attacks on the people of Kashmir abruptly rose up immediately in the aftermath of Pulwama attack which happened coincidently when the Loksabha Elections in India were very close. Perhaps the goons who fuel the fire, for communal disharmony for their vested interests, took the Pulwama attack as best opportunity to go against the Kashmiris, but how can one relate the attack by militants on CRPF convey with the common people of Kashmir. Though the motive to vilify the image of Kashmiri people is not of all the people living outside the Valley, as it was seen in Lucknow episode that a person played a heroic role and came to rescue Kashmiris. But at the same time why all the sincere people don’t stand up and come forward to safeguard the innocent Kashmiris like the Sikhs Communities in India did.
Every human with a good conscience do understand the slogan “live and let live”, but what is seen in India is that politics is preferred over human values by some people. And it has become a fashion for Hindutva forces to roam around with Dandas in their hands and thrush whosoever they want to thrush as they feel freewill from every ambit of law because of their belongingness with mighty political Babu’s. Being a Kashmiri, I feel the pain when an innocent person from Kashmir who visits outside for a certain purpose gets harassed. If such ridiculous things would continue to happen in India, it will definitely prove hazardous for the peace of whole country. In this modern era things have entirely changed. Now highness is not depicted by showing muscular power that too in one’s own homeland but is a quality of being polite and helpful to others. Rather highness is that which Kashmiri people do show towards the visitors from outside Kashmir, they are always considered as good guests in Kashmir, and are always treated with a good hospitality here. Recently after the closure of Jammu-Srinagar National Highway , which remained closed for several days, I found a number of facebook posts from native people of Kashmir in which they had shared their cell nos. and had offered free accommodation for outsiders during the hard circumstances. That too in the midst of such hard times when Kashmiri people in other states were made soft targets.
One wonders, why the responsibe autharties allow such arbitrary acts to happen in India, why the people in government like the Meghalya Governor provoke the people against Kashmiris, do they want to label all Kashmiris as terrorists. It smells fishy that why such responsibe people in government are not made answerable for fuelling the fire. Though the honourable Prime Minister Narinder Modi Ji spoke out against those who attacked Kashmiris, but too lately. Moreover it solely seems just a lip service, when on one hand you condemn the atrocities against Kashmiris and on the other hand you fail to give them a protection from goons, while holding the power in union government. By such kind of lip services you can’t befool the people as they know it well that actions speak louder than words. Gone are the days when politicians used to achieve political milage by suppressing minorities, if any politician is still believing that muscular power is a tool for politics then he is living in fools world. People in technologically modern world are able to differentiate between right and wrong.
Demonizing the image of Kashmiris is a dirty politics. For Indian politicians, better it would be to do away with the approach to target a particular community for political gains, as there are other options too. You can achieve political goals by uplifting the poor and providing good services to citizens, not by provoking one community to fight against other. How better it would be for you if you do politics above and across the lines of region and religion.
(The author is a freelancer. Views are his own [email protected])
