Fri May 18, 2012
Musavirr wani
In Cold Blood
By Musavirr Wani, Kashmir – July 2010
Even an undeclared 10-day curfew in Kashmir couldn’t keep Zahid Farooq away from the game of cricket. His friends will remember how much he loved the game, remarking that he was such a good batsman.
Earlier this year, when Border Security Forces (BSF) saw the boys defying curfew, they threatened them, pointing guns towards them. “We ran, but Zahid just stayed back,” said Wahid. “Then we heard some gun shots, we turned back and saw a BSF officer aiming his gun at Zahid who lay in a pool of his own blood. The officer opened fire again – this time directly firing into the chest of Zahid at close range.”
Such unprecedented violence has been targeted exclusively at youth. In the last few months at least 15 innocent students were killed by Indian security forces and state police in cold blood. Not militants, nor had they ever violated any law these young people simply raised their voices in protest against the brutalities they face every single day of their lives.
Tensions are high in Kashmir. Fear is pervasive and both parents and children worry that they may walk out the door of their homes and never return.
Worse, those who are murdering the students remain unpunished. Such was the case with those responsible for killing teenage student, Inayat in January. Inayat, returning home from a coaching center had been an innocent victim of security forces who beat him to death. Doctors who later examined Inayat’s body found multiple breaks in his ribcage as a result of the ruthless beating.
Thirteen year old Wamiq Farooq was another innocent victim. Moreover, his family never even knew that their son was killed until they found out he was laying in a morgue – considered an unidentified dead body. His mother said Wamiq had left his identity card at home because he had gone to play cricket at a nearby playground. Today, the family’s grief is unbearable.
Irfan Ahmad was just about to graduate from Baramulla College, the only college in his district when he was killed by paramilitary forces during protests and clashes. Ahmad ran a Desk-Top Publishing center and was the bread earner for his family.
Words of condolences fall deaf ears. During his two-day visit to Kashmir in early June, Indian Prime Minster, Dr. Manmohan Singh reiterated the fact that his government mandated there was zero tolerance to rights violations in Kashmir and that the guilty would not go unpunished. Yet human rights violations continue and more students have been brutally beaten and killed.
The Kashmiri people believe that security forces’ aligned with the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) have been misusing their power in the name of maintaining law and order. Now the parents of the deceased students share one thing in common – unspeakable anguish and also fear for their safety and security.
“The authorities have given a free hand to security forces targeting students and others,” said Bashir Ahmad. “The only pretext needed for targeting a student is a protest demonstration. I have three sons. I remain on pinpricks till they [get] back home [from school]. When there are protests anywhere in the city, we are worried about their safety and security.”
Not since the early 1990s have the Kashmiri people been so afraid of security forces and local cops. Many people believe that the security forces routinely detain young people from villages and then concoct fake encounters, often labeling the students as militants and then killing them “in self defense.”
A group of youth from Nowhata told this correspondent that for the last several months they have not slept in their houses, as they are afraid of nightly police raids. Despite the wide condemnation of these actions from around the world, the violence continues.
“Youth, who are the future of our nation, are worried about their studies and their future,” said Mohammad Shafi, a resident of Baramulla. “The situation in Kashmir has compelled every youth to accept the bitter reality that he might be the next victim of a bullet or deadly tear smoke shell. A student who leaves his home for school has no idea whether he will return back home in the evening.”
Not surprising, any magisterial and judicial probe into these arbitrary killings have not yielded any results. The proceedings seem intended to mislead the international community into believing that justice is being carried out.
Students who spoke to this correspondent expressed solidarity with the bereaved families of teenaged students. “Growing unemployment amongst educated youth is a serious issue,” said 23 year old Saqib Amin who wants to be an engineer.
“Like youth elsewhere in the world, we want to secure our future and live in a peaceful environment, which is important for building the future,” said another student. “The unfortunate thing is that none of the students killed were involved in stone pelting or protests but they were made soft targets by the security forces. Special powers [have been] given to the forces [who] are misusing them in the name of maintaining law and order.”
The trauma does not end here. Not only do people not feel safe in their homes or in their communities, they are also not safe outside of Kashmir where they are seen as militants. Kashmiris say they are always the first to be investigated, not because they are militants but because they are from a war-torn region that for over two decades has experienced great turmoil and people do not trust them.
“I was studying in Delhi in 2001 and whenever any blast or any terrorist activity took place, Delhi Police would first pick up Kashmiri students for investigations,” said Shabir Ahmad, a research scholar. “My friends and I were arrested by the police three times. Now as every Kashmiri knows about the worsening situation in the valley, they prefer to go outside the state for studies.”
As a result, there has been a huge set-back in education in Kashmir. Many schools, colleges, and other institutions have been closed due to violence. “Students in Kashmir are suffering from the dreadful stress and tensions,” said Dr. Margoob Mushtaq, a leading psychiatrist in the region. “The situation has worsened affecting a student’s ability to concentrate on his studies. Today, the student community is the victim of violence in valley. Tomorrow it could be other communities.”
Photo Credit: QAZI IRSHAD
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