Sorrow at the Recent Killings in Kashmir
By Punya Upadhyaya, HfHR Cofounder and Board Member
Last month, there was a renewed call for the government to take action in Indian-administered Kashmir. What was this for? To support the famous Kashmiri apple crop, which is languishing.
In a way, this was heartening. Despite the unethical policies and actions committed by India’s current government, was Kashmir actually getting to a place where we could have debates about “normal” governance issues?
The litany of the recently-killed strangles this hopeful thought.
Every day, the news adds more pain. This month, seven innocent civilians in Kashmir have been killed by militants. Last week, five Indian soldiers and two suspected militants died as well in a battle near the border with Pakistan (not the orchestrated killings that have often been used by the Indian military).
We condemn the recent killings – which include Biharis, Muslims, Pandits, Sikhs – military and civilians – men and women. Those who commit these killings are acting in their desire to separate and scare members of a diverse and pluralistic society.
We offer our deep sorrow and condolences to the families, communities, and colleagues of the civilians and soldiers who were killed, and the over 430 people that have now been arrested and are likely being treated badly (please note that the battle where the soldiers were killed was after the arrests of most of the 430 people). This is part of at least 28 civilians who were killed in Kashmir this year. Of these 25, three were (likely) migrant laborers from other states, two were Kashmiri Pandits, and 18 were native Muslims. The security agencies were informed that attacks on innocents were coming soon – and their late response speaks to the level of concern they have for the concerns of the people.
Our heritage warns us of excessive desire for land. The Mahabharata is a sad reminder of the losses we all face when adharma (injustice) rules the roost. The ongoing cycle of violence and repression in Kashmir by the Indian state and ongoing retaliation by both local (relatively rare) and internationally-sponsored (quite extensive) violence sees no real end.
The Indian state – from Mr. Nehru to Mr. Modi – has repeatedly used force in Kashmir, with little to show for the violence. A recent peak, after the unethical and sneaky abrogation of Article 370 was the deployment of one million para/military forces to prevent violence. The temporary solutions of barbed wire, internet shutdowns, and many other forms of state-sponsored violence have not created a stable source of peace. The “fundamentalist family” currently in power in much of India are trying the British colonial doctrine of “divide and rule,” which continues to fail the people, as it usually does. Human rights, economic opportunities, and cultural vitality all suffer under this violence.
Is there a path to sustained peace? In the parts of India where insurgencies have been supplanted by electoral politics (which can be fairly violent in India), such as the North East (Assam, Nagaland et al.) and the Punjab, there have been real efforts at dialogue. The bigoted and violent agenda of the current ruling powers against religious minorities and Dalits may make this unlikely. However, the people in charge are still politicians – and with the COVID pandemic, they were able to learn from their mistakes and create a better solution. It is in this spirit that we ask Indian politicians to develop a renewed call to peace that includes all the injured parties.
As we look for peace in the future - we know that the future will not be the one that any single group desires. Kashmiri Muslims are not going to suddenly vanish, despite the Indian government’s attempts to force a demographic change. Any move towards the true “azaadi” that Kashmiris long for are sure to be met with a massive show of military repression. The Pakistani military and intelligence agencies are unlikely to stop exercising their influence in Kashmir.
We must recognize that all the different parties – with their multiple voices – have a wide range of partially-valid desires.As Hindus, we know that any emotion or desire we have is always already incomplete. If we want to live together, to stop the killing, we have to look for new ways to come together.
HfHR calls upon those in power in Kashmir to stop the use of failed tactics and build a strategy for peace. We call upon the respective leaders to offer sensible approaches to peace, ones that respect the culture and life of all Kashmiris. This is the only way we can lead to a place where there is little support for violence and innocent people are no longer killed.
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For further reading:
12 Oct 2021: “Some Government Policies Broke Pandit-Muslim Relations in Kashmir—Sanjay Tickoo.”
“The Kashmiri Pandit leader says when a Hindu is killed in Kashmir, all Kashmiri Muslims must condemn it, just as all Hindus must condemn lynching of Muslims anywhere in India.”
15 Oct 2021: “Distress and Danger in Kashmir” by Anuradha Bhasin
“Until the recent killings of minorities, there was an unusual silence in Kashmir valley. Kashmir’s situation reveals the tell-tale signs of a region pushed into a vortex of irrecoverable misery, thanks to monumental official blunders.”
21 Oct 2021: “Meet Anuradha Bhasin, a Vocal Journalist Facing Government Crackdown”
“The Srinagar office of Kashmir Times, of which Bhasin is executive editor, was sealed on Monday.”
https://thewire.in/media/anuradha-bhasin-kashmir-time-crackdown
21 Oct 2021: “All communities in Kashmir need solidarity – the majority as well as minorities.” - Apoorvanand
“The majority in India must talk about its insensitivity to the pain of those it considers ‘others’.”