Saif Ali: Life while living in Kashmir during the lockdown
Photo Credit: (Bloomberg/Google Images)
Written by: Saif Ali Budgami
It was Aug. 2, 2019 when the government of India had ordered the state seating authorities of Kashmir Division to issue a notice to order the tourists, especially Amarnath Yatris (Hindu pilgrims) to leave the Kashmir valley as soon as possible.
The notice read “keeping in view the latest intelligence inputs of terror threats”, with specific targeting of the Amarnath Yatra, and given the prevailing security situation in the Kashmir valley, in the interest of safety and security of the tourists and Amarnath Yatris. It is advised that they may curtail their stay in the valley immediately and take necessary measures to return as soon as possible”
This was the moment that triggered Kashmiris as some so-called rumors of scraping Art 35A, making Kashmir a union territory, were already airing in the valley for the previous weeks prior to this notice.
The BJP’s (Bartiya Janta Party) tree of propaganda had already rooted in the valley. The day after day any unusual news would flash on my mobile screen.
Thousands of paramilitary forces were deployed in the state, all the major state departments were asked to store food for the upcoming three to four months. Some major transfers of senior government officers were made immediately. So called rumors rang the palpitation of the people of Kashmir. Everybody was questioning everyone. Something unexpected is going to take place. The whole valley was caught in a dilemma.
The foundation of BJP’s psychological warfare was not less than mass electrocution. Certainly some were sure that a war between India and Pakistan was going to take place. As this speculation was also a part of a propaganda chain.
People started to compare the nuclear strength of both the countries, counting which country will support India and which one would support Pakistan. Although majority of the people knowing the disastrous consequences of nuclear war still all had a single line on the tip of tongue that I am adding here in my mother tongue
“Gachun goach Jung, Akey Saate Makleha Ye Kasheer huend neyae”
“Let the war begin and resolve Kashmir issue once and for all.”
I was travelling on a public bus to the University of Kashmir on Aug. 2, 2019 to stay with my friend in his rented room near university. We had to reach the department really early to go for a picnic the next day. The bus was so crowded that I had to hang on by grasping an iron rod behind the bus door.
Suddenly my phone started ringing continuously but I avoided looking at it. At the same time, news aired inside the bus about the notice above that ordered the tourists to leave the valley. As soon as I got the seat I swiftly checked my phone and saw five missed calls from my mother’s number, called her back. She was highly tense, on the first go she asked me to return as soon as possible. After the call disconnected I clicked on Facebook and saw the whole Facebook wall decorated with that official notice. Even though it was a short and simple notice for the outsiders and tourists but was surely an imprisonment notice for the common people of Kashmir for the unlimited time.
When I got to my friend’s room at Habbak Crossing Dargah Srinagar, I was looking through the window while army men patrolled the streets. The state of fear didn’t allow me to stay there as my friends also planned to return their home just that day.
When I came back, I saw huge lines outside ATMS and grocery shops, the city petrol pumps looked like the village springs, as people were carrying water utensils to get petrol. As of now the questions that BJP called rumors were taking shape to reality.
Mainstream political leaders would still exclaim everything was normal. Wwas everything normal? Not at all! Not at least for the poor people who had nothing to do with ATMs and gaspumps as of having no personal cars and bank accounts.
I can tell you nobody in Kashmir might have slept well in those three nights. Again prime minister Narendar Modi addressed people somewhere in India where he made a statement about Kashmir.
“I have something special for the people of Kashmir that will be gifted to them on Aug. 5,”” said Modi.
Upon sunset on Aug. 4, tension, depression, fear and palpitation started increasing. As soon as midnight hit, all voice and data services were disabled and the curfew was announced.
On Aug. 5, people were connected with TVs to be updated about the future of Kashmir. All the streets and public places were deserted, scary gusts of wind snatching the signal of my TV screen again and again.
The places that were crowded with the people were engulfed with army men. Schools, colleges and universities closed. Surprisingly and suddenly,my TV screen received the signal and the yellow bolded flash heading on a red background came on the screen “Article 35A Scraped.”
Since Kashmir has been locked down, disconnected from the global family. Kashmiri students studying in outside states and countries were compassionately and tensely trying to connect their families by sending scripted or audio messages to radio and some local channels.
Soon after, all the mainstream political leaders who did hold their heads high and take oath under the Indian constitution, were arrested. All those leaders had promised the security of Article 35A to the people.
But reversely people have still no concern on the arrest of these mainstream leaders. The common people of Kashmir consider them fruits of a single tree. Additionally all the Huriyat leaders, Islamic scholars and other prominent public figures were arrested and detained in unknown places. CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) an armed wing of India were given the vehicles with automated set CCTV cameras to move around every place where protests would take place and catch the footage of protesters.
On the nights CRPF would raid the houses of protesters and arrest them at nights and take all the protesters to the newly constructed jail in Agra UP Jail that is thousands of kms distant from Kashmir. This is another catastrophic thing to mention that none was allowed to keep any information about the arrested youth.
If the parents of detainedyouth approached the police station, Authorities would say,“We have no information, approach those who were arrested.” Thousands of youth were arrested overnight and sent to Agra Jail within a few days.
It looked as if Kashmiris were fed volcanic lava that had torched everything inside without any noise. On one hand, Kashmiris in other states and countries were worried about the prevailing situation in Kashmir on the other hand,most of the Indian news channels would say, “Everything is normal in Kashmir” on their daily broadcasts while local blogs, Facebook pages and websites were report the truth. After protests took place in front of Indian embassies around the world against the Indian crackdown in Kashmir, the governor of Kashmir Governor arranged a press conference on Aug. 16 where his secretary assured the world, through his scripted white lies, that all is well in Kashmir.
I was collecting all the data about the daily happenings here in Kashmir and the piece you are currently reading was written Aug. 20, 2019 but due to the continuous internet shutdown, I could not get it published. What happened in those six months here in Kashmir? Cannot be disclosed in a single piece thus I had divided it into parts. What happened after Aug. 16, 2019 will be in the next post.
The author is from Central District Budgam of Indian Controlled Kashmir, a freelancer, writes for national and international blogs and newspapers
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