TwoCircles.net managed to get in touch with a Kashmiri resident Raqib Naik who somehow has some access to the internet. Here is a firsthand interview with him:
Q: Tell us about the situation in Kashmir right now?
Raqib: They have forcibly closed all the shops and other business establishments; schools and colleges are closed down; people are not allowed to go out; no newspapers; no cable TV; no internet, no mobile phones or landlines; communication is a total blackout.
Some businesses are open in Chenab valley of Jammu region while everywhere else in Kashmir everything is at standstill.
Q: But we hear news that schools and colleges are going to reopen and function as usual?
Raqib: Schools and colleges only in the Jammu district are going to open as the majority of the people residing here are Hindus and they support the decision of the Indian Government to abrogate Article 370. They have been demanding for this from long so there is no curfew or any restriction of any kind like in Kathua, Samba, Jammu and others. But in Chenab valley like in Doda district, Ramban, Poonch districts nothing is allowed..the curfew there is still sometimes moderate and sometimes strict.
Q: How have the people of Kashmir taken this revocation of the special status?
Raqib: Right now, in the backdrop of communication black out and the total restrictions imposed on the lives of the people, people don’t have time to respond to what has happened. They are shocked, stunned and don’t know how to respond. On top of it all sorts or restrictions have been imposed. This is the first time some people are seeing such a situation where normal life is restricted.
Leaders are house under arrest; regional leaders and local leaders are detained and taken to the police station. I have heard leaders of PDP have been slapped with PSA ( public safety Act). And we don’t know what is going to happen.
Q: The curfew was relaxed for the Friday prayers, were there protests by the people?
Raqib: Yes, thousands and thousands of people marched the streets after Friday prayers protesting the unilateral decision of the government. The official numbers say that there were more than ten thousand protestors who tried to reach the lal chowk and registering their protest but the police used tear gas shells, pellet guns and other things to dissuade people from going to the Lal Chowk.
Q: If the curfew is lifted completely, how do you think people will react?
Raqib: People will definitely react. As soon as they start deploying lesser security forces on the streets, people will protest and I already see the protests coming from the people of Srinagar, Chenab valley. They are not just angry but very angry. This was a unilateral decision taken by the central government without consulting the people or their leaders.
People see this as an attack on their very existence, their identity and they see this decision as an attack on the territorial sovereignty of the state which they have been apprehensive for a long time using this as a tool to change the demography of the region.. Reaction of the people will come and it will be worse this time as I can anticipate.
Q:How soon do you think it might be for things to get normal?
Raquib: This is a very big question. I don’t think everything is going to be normal pretty soon. It will take time. I don’t see it as a normalcy because people especially the youth will be alienated. This is a historical day of the people of Kashmir which they will remember as a black day because on this day the Indian state legitimized its occupation of the region.
Q: Is there any chance of reversing the bill revoking Article 370 as petitions have been filed in the Supreme court?
Raquib: This is actually an unconstitutional decision because they can abrogate the Article only after taking permission from the state assembly. And there was no assembly in place right now. That is why I say this is a unilateral decision taken by this government. And of course it is going to be challenged in court. I think an advocate has already filed a petition. And I hear that JKPM Shah Faesal’s party will also be moving the court. And a lot of other PILs will come up when they start releasing the leaders of the political parties from detentions. This will definitely be challenged. A G Noorani, the constitutional expert has already said that this is unconstitutional and a deceitful move. We will see a lot of legal hurdles coming in the way of this decision in the coming days.
Q: It is said that the Dalits have been, a discriminated lot in Kashmir and the present Government wants to help the Dalits. What do you think?
Raqib: The BJP had it in their agenda to abrogate the article 370 and were going to do it anyway. But they chose a couple of things under the guise of which to abrogate the article. And injustice to Dalits is one thing that Modi and Amit Shah put forth . There were already laws in place that guaranteed Dalits jobs and reservations in educational institutes passed in the state between 2002 and 2005.
If they were so concerned about Dalits why are they not doing anything against the crimes inflicted on Dalits in other states where they are being discriminated against? We see Dalits being flogged, killed and tortured in other parts of India.
They also used other punches like J & K is under developed due to Article 370. But if you see the Human Rights Index in other states and the GDP per capita I don’t think they are doing good in other states. In our state all the girls are in school and there is no hunger. Every person gets at least 2 square meals a day. We are economically better off and our GDP per capita is far better than any of the states. They have just been peddling lies to create a strong base of voters across India and nothing more than that.
Q: Tell us about the silencing of the journalists in Kashmir and curbing the rights of the fourth estate.
Raqib: Right now there are unprecedented curbs on the free speech in the state with a total communication black out in Kashmir and some parts of Jammu. The journalists are not able to file their stories; newspapers are not able to hit the stands, they are not able to publish anything because they are wholly dependent on the internet for gathering stories or reporters filing stories. Reporters from Baramulla or north Kashmir and other places don’t come physically to file their stories; they usually send them by mail. Without the internet they are not able to work; press movement in the Kashmir valley has been restricted a lot. In the Chenab valley of Jammu division as well there are sometimes not allowing some journalists to perform their professional duties. The state of press in the region is in tatters right now.
A Jammu based editor has filed a writ in Supreme Court to remove curbs on the press in the state. Let us see what comes out of the writ.