[Reader-list] Ahad War deserves a memorial

[Pawan Durani]

Ahad War deserves a memorial

By Kuldeep Raina

If Kashmiriat denotes religious toleration and pluralistic
co-existence, then surely Kashmir has remained bereft of it for most
of the medieval and the present times. Rajataranginis of Pandit
Jonaraja and Srivara and the chronicles penned down by Muslim
historians - Tarikh-e-Hassan, Baharistan Shahi, Tohft-Tul Ahbab speak
about torture, killings, forced conversion, exile of native Hindus
besides the pillage and plunder of their shrines. Whenever Kashmiris
received accolades for practising Kashmiriat, it has been the
individuals, rather than the society at large that has retrieved
‘Kashmiriat’.

Nowhere in the sub-continent has history been abused so blatantly as
in Kashmir. To borrow a phrase from Edward P. Thompson, the great
British historian distortion of history is an nationalised industry
here. The trials and tribulations the Kashmiri Pandits went through in
the wake of tribal raid in 1947 has still remained under warps due to
the compulsions of the ruling class in Delhi and Srinagar. At this
crucial juncture of history, when Kashmiri Pandit community is
languishing in exile and stands disinherited by the majority community
in Valley, introspection on what went wrong in the past would help
draw lessons for the future. It is time we remember our saviours.
During the tribal raid, Pandits' trauma and agony would have been
much-less had the majority community demonstrated secular behaviour.
Ahad war’s role amply testifies it.

Ahad war belonged to Chogal village, 2 kms from Handwara. He was
numberbar of the village. When the raid began he had decided that he
would defend Pandits to the last and stood by his word. The Sarpanch
of the village was Gh. Qadir Masala. He was an opportunist, who always
joined the winning side.

In this overwhelming Muslim village (250 families), 22 Sikh families
lived on one side of the Pohru river, close to Sopore-Kupwara highway.
Pandit Mohalla was located on the other side of Pohru. There were nine
Pandit families. One Kanth Koul had come from Srinagar to try his luck
at business. He ran a shop in Chogal. This family’s  descendants today
run a famous business concern.

­“Janki Nath - Mahendra Nath”

There is a reference to village Chogal in medieval chronicles. Chogal
was very famous because of a temple called Bomar. It used to attract
big crowds of people. At the instance of an Iraqi missionary this
temple was demolished. Locals under the leadership of Ahald war had
resisted this then. This was in early seventeenth century.

Tribal Raid 1947-48:

Chogal Pandits learnt about tribal raid from Amarchand Pandita, who
had gone to participate in the barat of late Pt. Moti Lal Kuchroo of
Baramulla. At venukur, the barat was Waylaid and attacked by raiders.
Eight members of the barat party were killed. Amarchand, who too was
in barat party, had a providential escape. He reached home safely to
tell that raiders were killing Pandits. The Pandits of the village,
frightened by this first hand account of killings went to seek the
advice of Ahad war. He extended complete sympathy and assured all
possible help to save them. Ahad war arranged guard for Pandit houses
during night.

When the D-day arrived, raiders guided by three locals Imamdin, Mahd
Teli and Shamsuddin Khan descended on Sikh part of Chogal. Pandits
were in their houses and were caught unawares. To give time to Pandits
to flee, Ahad war devised a strategy. Ahad war took Moshar Nath,
secretary of Panchayat along with him besides few local Muslims and
went to meet raiders, before they would enter Pandit part of Chogal.
To hoodwink raiders, Moshar Nath was given a green flag to hold aloft.
Sikh houses had already been set on fire. Raiders, to whom loot was
more important than anything else, caught hold of Moshar Nath and
threatened to kill him. He handed over all gold and the money he
carried with him. Ahad war got worried that raiders would not leave
Pandits. In broken Kashmiri he pleaded  before raiders to spare
Pandits. War told them that these people had become Shaikhs and have
accepted Islam.

The local trio had incited the raiders. They threatened to kill Moshar
Nath that in case he failed to show where Gana  Bhat was hiding. To
save his skin,  Moshar Nath called Gana Bhat out from hiding. Mahd
Teli had rivalry with Gana Bhat. He thought raiders would settle the
score for him.

Meanwhile,  another batch of raiders came accompanied by 1500 people
belonging to Kultari, Sikh Chogal, Guloora, Kuhroo and Yaru. This
group of raiders particularly looked for Gopi Nath Channa, a Patwari
posted here. He belonged to Badiyar, Srinagar. Gopi Nath came forward
and agreed to take raiders to his house. Ahad war went along with him
and wanted to help him out. Gopi Nath put stealthily Rs 200 in Ahad
War's pheran pocket so that he could plead that he had borrowed money
from Ahad war and save rest of the money. Gopi Nath led raiders to his
house and asked Ahad war in raider's presence to give him some money
as he had nothing. Gopi Nath murmured in Kashmiri, ‘Meh traymay
chandas Rs 200, yori ditam bah dimaha yiman’. (I have put in your
pocket Rs 200. Hand me over these so that I give it to them)}. So Ahad
war played the trick for Gopi Nath. Raiders felt Ahad war had more
money. They searched his other pocket and left him with nothing.

Conversions:

Raiders then shot dead Shridhar Joo Khosa. He was posted as Patwari at
Kukroosa. Ahad war came to console Pandits. Shridhar’s mother belonged
to Chogal. Pandits now feared for their lives. They proposed to War
that Pandits will embrace Islam. Ahad war understood that it was the
fear which was speaking. He replied, “the situation will not remain
like this. It is not acceptable to me that you will embrace Islam.”
Pandits had, however, taken a decision and next morning called
Abdullah Pir, Imam of the mosque to complete the formalities. A
section of chogal Muslims did feel happy at conversions and decided to
have an inter-dining session with Pandits to complete the conversion.
When this decision was conveyed to Ahad war, he burst upon them and
shouted, “scoundrels! Pandits will not become Muslims. Even if they
become Muslims and anarchy continues to prevail, for three years they
cannot share food with us”. Earlier also War had protested, when he
refused to join Chogal villagers at the conversion ceremony.

Instant Justice:

Devmol, a widow had kept in her headgear cloth her meagre savings and
put it in a trunk. During the turmoil she had managed to send it to
her neighbour, Rasool Ahanger’s house for safe custody.  When
normality returned, she asked him to hand over the trunk. Rasool sent
back the trunk but the bag containing money was missing. Devmal went
to Ahad war to seek his intervention.

Ahad called Rasool Ahangar. Entire village assembled. War asked
Ahangar to return the money. The latter swore that he had not taken
the money. Ahad war got a big stick, (Danda Muhr) and thrashed him
severely. Ahangar remained unmoved. War then stripped him naked,
leaving him only in underwear (Langoti). He then put a white sheet
over Ahangar’s shoulders and bit him. Ahangar did not budge. Then war
asked people to get a sickle. He put it in fire. When it turned red
hot, war ordered Ahangar to take out his langoti. War brought hot
sickle  near his private parts. At this point, Rasool Ahangar broke
down. He begged mercy and accepted the guilt. Ahangar told war, ‘Sir,
please leave me now. I have committed  the theft. I will see and get
whatever money is left.”. Ahangar’s wife was also there. War put
sickle in fire again and shouted, “you are not coming out. Tell your
wife where have you hidden the money”. Rasool Ahangar asked his wife
to hand, over the money to Devmal.

Pandits Property: Ahad war commanded awe and respect from his people.
They called him Baab, the benign father. During February raid, when
Chogal came under the frequent occupation of Pak army, Ahad War felt
he may not be able to save Pandits. He arranged two big boats, behats
for them at his own cost. As Pandits left, War put up a camp in Pandit
Mohalla. War and 4-5 of his men would guard Pandit property day and
night and look after their cattle.

After some time, War sent a message to Pandits that they should send
person from each family to look after their  cattle Sarvanand recalls,
“when we reached home we saw Ahad war had put up his camp in our
mohalla. He had shifted his bedding  also and would guard our houses
day and night. War also looked after our cattle.”.

In 1990, Chogal behaved differently because there was no Ahad war. Out
of 20 Pandit houses, nineteen were put on fire by locals in September
1993. Shambnoo Nath’s house, which escaped fire stands denuded of its
timber and Iron sheets forming its roof. The new dispensation which
took over in Kashmir in 1947 never honoured people like Ahad war. The
day Kashmiris decide to raise a memorial for Ahad war, Kashmir Pandits
return to their homes and hearths can become possible.

(The writer is Gen. Secretary, Panun Kashmir)

Source: Kashmir Sentinel