TCN News
A team of 4 persons visited Kashmir and spent 5 days there from August 9th– 13th for fact finding on the ground reality there after the special status of Kashmir was abrogated on 5th August by imposing curfew, arresting political leaders and cutting all means of communications.
The team spoke to hundreds of people in Srinagar, villages and towns including students of school and college, women, shop keepers, Kashmiri Pandits, Sikhs, migrant workers from other states, journalists and Kashmiri Muslims.
The findings of the committee in brief:
About the situation:
- The city was shrouded in silence and desolated by curfew but still brimming with the presence of the Indian military and paramilitary personnel
- The people were in pain, anger and felt betrayed by the government of India for scraping the article and for the manner in which it was done
- Except for a few ATMs and chemist shops all other institutions and establishments were closed
- Economic life in Kashmir is crippled due to the curfew
- Bakrid was a damp affair with all the restrictions
- People live in fear of harassment from the government, army or police. Even though they expressed their anger they were afraid to talk on camera.
- The Indian media’s claims of a rapid return to normalcy in Kashmir are grossly misleading. They are based on selective reports from a small enclave in the centre of Srinagar
- There is no space for protest of any sort in Kashmir right now.
But the team feels that mass protests are likely to erupt sooner or later.
Reaction of the people to the Government’s Treatment of J&K
When the team landed in Srinagar, they heard children playacting in a park saying ‘ Iblees Modi’ (Satan Modi). The most often words used by the people in conversations was ‘zulm’ (Oppression); ‘zyadti’ (excess/cruelty), and ‘dhokha’ (betrayal).
One person in downtown Srinagar told the team, “The Government has treated us Kashmiris like slaves, taking decisions about our lives and our future while we are captive. It’s like forcing something down our throats while keeping us bound and gagged, with a gun to our heads.”
They were angry and appalled at the manner in which the Indian media was whitewashing the history of Kashmir.
Reactions to the Abrogation of Article 370 and 35A
- Many described Article 370 and 35A as Kashmir’s “pehchan” (identity). They felt that the abrogation of these Articles is a humiliating attack on Kashmir’s self-respect and identity.
- But not all demanded restoration of Article 370. Many of them felt that it was only political parties who had faith that India would honour Article 370 while the rest of them wanted ‘Azadi’.
- In a way some people feel vindicated that the parties that batted for India are now facing humiliation.
- “Modi has destroyed India’s own law, its own Constitution” was another common refrain.
- “Congress ne peeth mein choora bhonka tha, BJP ne saamne se choora bhonka hai.” (Congress had stabbed us from the back; BJP is stabbing us up front). He added, “They strangled their own Constitution. It’s first step towards Hindu Rashtra.”
- With 35A gone, though, people fear that “State land will be sold cheap to investors. Ambani, Patanjali etc can come in easily. Kashmir’s resources and land will be grabbed. In Kashmir as it stands now, education and employment levels are better than in the mainland. But tomorrow Kashmiris will have to compete for Government jobs with those from other states. After one generation, most Kashmiris won’t have jobs or be forced to move to the mainland.”
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Queuing for gas in Sopore, 11 Aug
Claims of Normalcy in Kashmir
Nothing is normal or peaceful in Kashmir as the team interacted with the people who said, “This is bandook ki khamoshi (the silence at gunpoint), kabristan ki khamoshi (the peace of the graveyard).”
- The state newspaper had pages full of cancellations of weddings and receptions.
- Between 5-9 August, when the team was in Kashmir, people had suffered for lack of food, milk, and basic needs. People had been prevented even from going to hospitals in case of sickness.
- Police vans keep patrolling Srinagar warning people to “stay safe at home and not venture out during the curfew”, and tell shops to close their shutters. They demand that people display “curfew passes” to be allowed to move about.
- Even on Eid, the roads and bazaars were silent and desolate. All over Srinagar, mobility is restricted by concertina wires on streets, and massive paramilitary deployment.
- In many villages, azaan was prohibited by the paramilitary and people were forced to do namaaz prayers at home rather than collectively at the mosque as it usual on Eid.
- “It is Army rule not Modi rule. There are more soldiers here than people”,said one person
- The CRPF paramilitary is everywhere, outside nearly every home in Kashmir. These are clearly not there to provide “security” to Kashmiris – on the contrary, their presence creates fear for the people.
- Sheep traders and herders could be seen with unsold sheep and goats
- unsold sweets and delicacies were perishing as people could not afford them
An asthmatic auto driver in Srinagar, showed the team his last remaining dose of salbutamol and asthalin. He had been trying for the past several days to buy more – but the chemists’ shops and hospitals in his area had run out of stocks. He could go to other, bigger hospitals – but CRPF were preventing him. He showed the empty, crushed cover of one asthalin inhaler – when he told a CRPF man he needed to go further to get the medicine, the man stamped on the cover with his boot. “Why stamp on it? He hates us, that’s why”, said the auto driver.
Protests, Repression, and Brutality
- Some 10,000 people protested in Soura (Srinagar) on 9 August. The forces responded with pellet gun fire, injuring several
- Several people were fired with pellets in the arms, face and eyes. Two young men have lost their eyesight. One person was fired as many as 172 pellets.
- Unarmed, peaceful civilians standing at their own front doors can be targets. And the soldiers deliberately target the face and eyes.
- At least 600 political leaders and civil society activists are under arrest and their place of arrest is unknown. A very large number of political leaders are under house arrest.
- Young schoolboys and teenagers have been arbitrarily picked up by police or army/paramilitary and held in illegal detention.
- Hundreds of boys and teens are being picked up from their beds in midnight raids. The only purpose of these raids is to create fear.
- Women and girls narrated incidents of molestation by armed forces during these raids.
- The people fear that the boys may be “disappeared” – i.e killed in custody and dumped in mass graves of which Kashmir has a grim history.
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Army vehicle, special design
But the protests are not likely to stop. A young man at Sopore said: “Jitna zulm karenge, utna ham ubharenge” (The more you oppress us, the more we will rise up) A familiar refrain we heard at many places was: “Never mind if leaders are arrested. We don’t need leaders. As long as even a single Kashmiri baby is alive, we will struggle.”
Media Gagged
- Newspapers are facing undeclared censorship. Newspapers that carry the barest mention of protests are made to feel the heat from the authorities.
- Kashmiri TV channels are completely closed and unable to function.
- Foreign press reporters are facing restrictions on their movement by the authorities.
- Due to lack of internet, journalists are unable to communicate with their own main offices.
Kashmir under developed?
The fact finding team found that even in villages there were pacca houses unlike the shacks seen in some northern states. Level of education is high with youngsters enrolled in colleges and universities.
Even migrant labours are happy as they are earning more than what they did back in their home towns North India and West Bengal.
Kashmiri Pandits told the team they felt safe there and celebrate all festivals together.
BJP spokesperson’s opinion and warning
BJP spokesperson on Kashmir affairs, Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo’s answer to should a Government impose an unpopular decision on people of Kashmir who have not voted for that decision, at gunpoint, was, “In Bihar when Nitish Kumar imposed prohibition, he didn’t ask the alcoholics for their permission or consent. It’s the same here.”
When cornered Chrungoo, called them anti-nationals and warned that they won’t be allowed to do work there
Demands
- We demand the immediate restoration of Articles 370 and 35A.
- We assert that no decision about the status or future of J&K should be taken without the will of its people.
- We demand that communications – including landline telephones, mobile phones and internet be restored with immediate effect.
- We demand that the gags on the freedom of speech, expression and protest be lifted from J&K with immediate effect. The people of J&K are anguished – and they must be allowed to express their protest through media, social media, public gatherings and other peaceful means.
- We demand that the gags on journalists in J&K be lifted immediately.
The members of the fact finding committee are:
Jean Drèze, economist
Kavita Krishnan, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) and AIPWA
Maimoona Mollah, All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA)
Vimal Bhai, National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM)