Omar Abdullah must now take a trend-setting step of officially declaring curfew as another season in Kashmir, harsher than the shivering, frostbiting cold of Chillai Kalaan writes Fayaz Jaleel
Curfew – official restriction on people’s movement, requiring them to remain indoors. But this definition of curfew doesn’t hold good for Kashmir.
No way. It needs to be modified, elaborated.
Curfew in Kashmir has a wider dimension, it is used by the government as a tool of repression against the populace to intimidate them to slavery and crush their rancor and agony. For threatening and terrorizing the entire community, for harassing the people, for pulverizing dissent, for bumping off their rights to protest, to mourn.
Also, to put a lid on their ire, for annihilating the anger of the people, making them realise that their value is no more than criminals caged in gaols, to crumble their feelings, feelings of Freedom.
Indeed in Kashmir it is an instrument of fascism, a modern one.
Sanctimoniously the government justifies the use of curfew as a prophylactic for casualties. Indirectly they agree to the fact that armed forces are brutal and barbarous. That security personnel don’t allow them to mourn the death of their relatives killed in fake encounters by army to receive gallantry awards and instant promotions. That people are being bludgeoned to death when they demand their rights. That youth are being mowed down for protesting against the crimes perpetrated on them.
They enforce curfew to prevent the killings. Right.
So should we say then that shutdowns, pelting of stones and an armed struggle is also necessary, because India is hell bent on decimating Kashmiri people, to exterminate the whole populace, to kill them, rape their women, to incriminate them in fake accusations – fashioned out to achieve their own benefits. And that we protest and resist only to exist and survive in this brutal and atrocious rule.
Why does the government becomes an ostrich to these barbaric activities and not address the basic grievances? The answer is that their lust for power has throttled the qualms of their conscience. That the satisfaction of their own selfish ends is their ulterior motive and they will accomplish it come what may.
But every now and then curfew is clamped across the length and breadth of sequestered Kashmir. The curfew in Kashmir is often imposed undeclared and is seldom a declared one. People are restricted to their homes and their freedom is muffled, they are not allowed to offer congregational prayers, patients aren’t allowed to go to hospitals for necessary treatment, for buying medicine.
Saviors or Terrorists?
The other dimension of the curfew is very heinous and atrocious. In the façade of these ‘restrictions’ oppression and terrorism is at work. The forces not only confine the movement of people but indulge in hooliganism, turn berserk, vandalize houses and the height of repression is that they themselves barge into the homes and damage the property, break the window panes, smash the doors and furniture, harass the inmates, abuse women and children, humiliate them, beat them and torture them mentally just to satiate their devilish lust.
People are being persecuted perpetually during this ‘season of curfews’, tormented, intimidated for the crime of being innocent. Now pepper grenades are used excessively and unprovoked reminiscent of the merriment of a child while playing with his new toys. The only difference being that the joy of forces lies in watching people being choked to death.
Security forces are meant to protect the rights of people, to safeguard their lives but if people (read whatever you like) like these are called security personnel, then who are the killers, terrorists??
While as civil administration has ensured strict action against the CRPF indulged in excesses nothing concrete has been done so far. They have asked people to call district administration whenever these brute forces indulge in rampage, really? They have offered a helping hand to the plight of Kashmiri people but the hand is drenched in the blood of innocents itself. It was meant to just fulfill a formality, do they have the courage to take strict action against those involved in humiliating innocents? If yes, then they should take action wherever such incidents have occurred, can they, will they? Lets see.
Obama to Hitler
With the commencement of Omar’s tenure as the “youngest Chief Minister of JK, many saw a ray of hope in him, perhaps expecting from him rejuvenated strategies and skills full of vigor. He was even seen as the ‘Obama of Kashmir’. But over the years he has turned out to be the Hitler of Kashmir.
Yes, he showed us his innovative skills but in some different perspective. He has increased the ambit of curfew to a much broader extent. He has included the internet services and media services in the scope of curfew. Local media has been curfewed for more than two years now, SMS service has been curfewed for more than three years now and recently we witnessed the curfew on internet services across the valley. Not only that Omar took a new step – of blocking Indian news, a fate which was more or less reserved for the Pakistani news media during the past two decades.
So the curfew has a much far-reaching impact and influence in Kashmir, and in this morass Mr. Omar must take a trend-setting step of declaring curfew as another, new season in Kashmir. A season which is harsher than the shivering, frostbiting cold of Chillai Kalaan and the blistering heat of summer, and which is lethal also. The season which claims a heavy price from the lives of people, particularly youth, if “necessary precautions” are not taken beforehand.
People have rightly altered the definition of CM – Chief Minister – to Curfew Minister. Now he must add icing on the cake by officially announcing that hereafter there will be five seasons in Kashmir – Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter and Curfew.
The older four may have a fixed schedule, but curfew may come and stay for any period of time, and people must prepare and save themselves from getting killed.
(The views are author’s own)
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