[Reader-list] Life is cheap in Kashmir

[anupam chakravartty]

"To relate every such Justice, campaign with stone throwing and abusing the
brave Jawans, is equally insane. This will get them no JUSTICE. Violence
will only give them more violence in return."
Dear all,
I think the above statement by Aditya shows how many of us (i am trying to
address the larger whole instead of categorically pointing out the Panun
Kashmir lobby which has been actively putting these issues on the forefront)
look at kashmir or for that matter any conflict zone in the nation, be it
Lalgarh, Warangal, Churachandpur, Diphu, Deesa and recently Shopian. Jawans
of Indian forces operating in Kashmir are brave, on the right side of the
conflict, their actions: unquestionable. This argument has been also applied
to north east, which obviously has a different set of issues in terms of
conflicts, in terms of political aspirations. Although in case of Indian or
Indian forces and people who decide on their deployment, use force as the
last means quell conflicts. However, all these efforts to quell such
resistance (Kargil War is not included here merely because a direct role of
Pakistani forces has been reportedly established) have been disastrous. Mobs
in Gujarat or mobs in Shopian or even the organised Maoist resistance
Lalgarh are going to be the same -- ruthless, cunning and even merciless. To
digress a little, we are yet to know what happened in Karbi Anglong in 2005
or 2006 when karbis and dimasas fought each and within days there was more
blood on the fields than waters -- unfortunately very was heard within
Indian media or in the corridors of power centres. All we know about Karbi
Anglong is that indian security forces have captured the banned Black Widow
leader, Jewel Garlossa from Bangalore and the first train reached Haflong
after two months of rail blockade. ( I am sure Garlossa knew that by calling
his outfit Black Widow if not for anything else such as Dimasa Liberation
Front will give him that kind publicity which he always wanted) The imagined
bottomline that once the wheel has been turned, no matter how peaceful the
foundations of a resistance is, it bound to become violent persists.
However, whenever demands were made from different corners of this larger
Indian whole, there were people within these quarters divided about the use
of violent means.
Cut back to Indian Paramilitary Jawan posted a checkpoint near Rangiya
Cantonment of Assam Rifles, barely 30 kilometers from Guwahati. Besides
being brave and other such things, he also has a family, probably a little
bit of his kheti-baadi in some village near Uttar Pradesh or Punjab or
Haryana. His folks sent him to paramilitary because it is a matter of honour
to serve your country, protect the nation. In their imagination, this brave
jawan of a son, the son of the soil, of the tiller of the earth is fighting
for his land, protecting his people. Certainly, it is a matter of pride. And
now he stands guard to keep a look out for enemies -- who are terrorists,
extremists, militants, for some revolutionaries, guerillas, organised
criminals, freedom fighters, you name them. They have already infiltrated,
very much within the system, in fact these enemies are part of the system of
governance. they are angry, discontent lot, loosers if you want to call
them, unemployed (looking for work but not just a job), an outcaste -- no
matter how much you want to convince them, they will have their way. they
will keep killing. even the ones who have surrendered, save for a few, rest
all of them just dont want to exist but want to become the centres of power.
This jawan is not politically aspirational, he is brave enough to face a
bullet and die or kill some of them. His bravery lasts for a few seconds,
remembered for many years. By bravery, I only meant the Jawan's bravery. Not
those four youths, who are armed with two carbines stolen from a local
police station as the local cops quickly agreed to their demands. Now, they
are advancing towards their same outpost where our brave Jawan guards. in a
succession of few seconds, the pillion riders from hurl two or three
objects, towards them as both the riders clench the fists to apply brakes.
the moment these objects touch the ground close to the checkpost is the same
moment when other Jawan, the brave one could not even shout, so that at
least one of them could be not saved. such are these deaths that even brave
men would fear for they may not have a split second to be what they are
supposed to be. this was Assam in 1990s. They were not meant to die like
this. These four youths, instead were considered brave within their
community or their ranks. Please note that i am not dwelling on the premise
a terrorist could a freedom fighter as well.
So how does one sort these disparate yet significant crises of our times. It
lies in answering the questiong as to Why do we have to link all forms of
resistance (armed or unarmed) to a larger and more sinister, terrorism? Is
it because while quelling these forms of resistance we need to first
categorise them in certain ways so for the administrative hubris it becomes
easier ? The negotiations that have between the resistance leaders and the
government  -- are they published? Is it only about freeing other men from
captivity? Do we like living under the shadow of the gun?
What makes you say, Aditya, that "Violence will only give them more violence
in return". Are you saying it from the point of view of a jawan who, even if
we decorate him with medals and honours dies like an innocent lamb after
these unruly mobs, the cunning of a guerilla unit attack him out of the
blue? Is this brave Jawan happy with his recent posting in poverty stricken
belt with the locals up in arms against not this Jawan but who he
represents? And the remedial measure is what -- violence. for the mere
reason that the grounds for negotiation, the atmosphere for bilateral talks
or for working out a strategy to rehabilitate these people is not conducive
enough and therefore violence?
Lastly, how many deaths on particular junction of a road does it take for
the administration to set up a speed breaker, traffic signal or flyover?
precisely how many?
i hope my questions would be answered some day.
-thanks anupam