Democracy, Detentions and Republic

Continuing detentions of political leaders “without charges “in Jammu & Kashmir coming under sharp criticism from Alice Wells the acting US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia shows that democracy is about respect to dissent and condemnation of detentions without charges. The sharp reaction of Washington coming on the eve of no less important a day than India’s republic day speaks volumes about the concerns of US President Donald Trump’s administration about the political detentions and communication blockade in Jammu & Kashmir. Sharing equal concerns over the militancy and political unrest in Kashmir may be satisfying for New Delhi but contradictions on detentions and democratic rights shows increasing differences between India and US over the uneasy calm in Kashmir prevailing since August 5 when the incumbent central government bifurcated the erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir state into two union territories and scrapped special status by abrogation Article 370 and Article 35 A. Reference to the recent visit of a European Union delegation of which US ambassador in Delhi was a part by US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia shows Trump administration’s disapproval of the contentions of Delhi over curbs on political leaders in Jammu & Kashmir particularly the Kashmir valley. Though the government in Jammu & Kashmir has restored 2 G internet facilities but it is too little and too late as the students and traders have missed very big opportunities during last six months due to internet shutdown in valley. Though US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia welcomed the government’s measures for restoring the limited internet facilities in Jammu & Kashmir a day before India was to celebrate its republic day but she won’t have even imagined that the restoration of broad internet facility would be withdrawn in few hours under the garb of security concerns few hours before the republic day celebrations. The government could have restored internet services after the republic day for short time instead of lifting restrictions on fixed line internet services only a day before the republic day and withdrawing it only in few hours.
Prolonging detention of few and releasing others too is not a good omen for democracy as democracy is not about discrimination in actions on the political freedom of the people who have fought several elections under Indian Constitution and headed many elected government during last several decades but about free of space for political activities to people of all shades and opinions. Celebrating republic day is not the right of only those at the helm but is equally the right of the people particularly people who have contested elections and headed popular governments in yesteryears. The only good omen for the future of democracy in India is that people through peaceful protests against a discriminatory citizenship law called Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) across the country these days are conveying a message to the incumbent central government that huge public mandate for governing the country does not give any government the right to detain it’s dislikes and release only likes on the basis of their affiliation to regions and religions. If democracy has to survive in Kashmir, the right to political freedom and communication services like internet facilities can’t be denied to people merely on apprehensions not holding ground even in the eyes of foreign envoys who visited Kashmir recently.