Violence and the Valley

Col J P Singh, Retd
I see Violence and the Valley inseparable. There is nothing surprising to what happened earlier, earliest and what is happening today. The recent and more glaring example of violence in the Valley is police atrocities on the students in Srinagar NIT. Violence is entering the institutions of learning and the students are owning it happily. Students are said to be the future of the nation. While the students should be focusing on studies and brilliant future, they are indulging in  violence. Hence I see the future of India mired in violence. Talking of the valley, violence at large scale started there in the late eighties, it continues the same way unabated manifesting differently under different circumstances. If nothing happens for few days, a rare phenomenon occurs, violence flares up and the news is made. In the current case, students pick up a fight over petty issue such as sloganeering over a cricket match and raise the pitch to an extent that security forces are compelled to prevail. Things like this happened earlier in JNU. By coercing and provoking security forces, the students draw public attention and the incident becomes sensitive and its media coverage makes it alarming. Valley has been living with it since long with no end in sight. Every issue in the valley is so sensationalized that it becomes an alarming event. Current violence in the NIT Srinagar is glaring example of the trend.  Tensions grew in NIT Srinagar on 31st March when Indian team lost T-20 cricket match to West Indies. Local students are alleged to have celebrated Indian defeat by pro Pak slogans whereas outside students objected and reacted with pro India slogans. Next day Pak Flags were raised after Friday prayers and pro Pak slogans shouted. Non local students raised Indian Flags. Tension rose compelling authorities to close NIT. On 5th April, when the Institute reopened, tensions flared up again when non local students sensing assaults & affray and feeling insecure, assembled in the Campus. The teaching staff is alleged to have threatened outsiders to fail them if they raise national flag issue. Feeling insecure they started a procession march to come out from the campus and draw media attention to their apathy. It was blocked by the police at the exit gate. Despite brutal lathi charge and dispersal, police chased them to their Hostel and allegedly beat them there. Feeling threatened from police and local students, outside students called parents to apprise them of the looming dangers. It alarmed the parents. Parents in panic started calling up and rushing to the nearest police stations, MLAs, ministers and media houses to seek safety and security for their wards. A mountain out of a mole hill started building up infront of a day old Govt. Home Minister, HRD Minister and MOS in the PMO got into action. They spoke to the Chief Minister seeking safety for the students. Three companies of CRPF were rushed to the NIT. Seeing the gravity of the situation, Central Govt rushed a team of three officials of HRD Ministry to investigate. The matter does not rest here. The latest reports suggest prevalence of tension in the campus and unreasonable demands by students. HRD Minister thought it appropriate  to personally visit the institution to reassure students and parents. It makes matters worse. Instead  a local minister should have rushed to the NIT and taken stock of the situation.
If we go back into the causes of violence in the valley, proxy war unleashed from across the borders fuelled it in the eighties. Kashmiri Pandits were killed and hounded out. By the end of nineties killings peaked to almost 5000 a year. In 2001 the casualty figure was 4500. Last year killings were down to two hundred. None-the-less they were there. This slow down happened due to relentless attrition caused by the security forces. Surprisingly the tables are turning. Security forces are being chased by very those people who eulogized them earlier. It is a well known fact and altogether a new phenomena. When the security forces besiege the trouble shooters or the terrorists, they are stoned and blocked by the locals. This means serious civil-military conflict and killings. And if local and outsider conflict also starts, there will be more violence. Violence in the shape of student conflicts percolating form the universities to lower institutions of learning is likely to turn into triangular fight between  security forces and the students. It will be a serious setback to the restoration of peace and security in the Valley.
While the terrorism is gradually ending in the valley, local hostilities are increasing. It can’t happen suddenly and overnight. ISI’s involvement in terrorist attacks on military installations (Pathankot) and in enforcing civil-military hostility is obvious. Events of the recent past show that locals’ sympathy for the terrorists and anti-national elements is on the rise while their sympathy toward security forces and loyalty to the nation is diminishing. ISI is making deep inroads in the valley. Despite being integral part of India, Valley is gradually slipping out of political hold irrespective of any govt in place. There seems to be an intense anti-national passion in the valley. It has increased after Modi’s ascent as PM. Perhaps BJP’s rise in Jammu region has taken ISI by surprise. Victory of 25 BJP MLAs from Jammu almost decimating Congress, NC and PDP in Jammu region must be a rude shock to ISI. Even Kashmiri leadership saw dangers to their distinct identity and freedom of action. They feel that Modi will make them answerable and accountable for every doing or misdoing. Late Mufti Sahib saw a silver lining in Modi’s rise and wisely knit an alliance with BJP and formed coalition Govt in J&K. That also irked the ISI. Separatists, ISI and the religious bigots, God knows who all, are said to have prevailed upon Mehbooba Mufti putting the coalition temporarily on the tenter hooks. Despite the fact that she has re-stitched the earlier alliance, the facts stand where they are when we see the state returning to violence and instability. Rift in the PDP is wide open after Mufti Sahib’s death. Mr. Karra has revolted. He is PDP MP from the troubled valley. BJP is under flak for ignoring Sajjad Lone and Jammu’s interest. Dr. Farooq Abdullah has given not more than a year to the new coalition Govt. Situation such as it is today suggests political instability. It creates fears. We seem to be destined to live in such uncertainties and fears! Reasons are many but few stand out.  Firstly is the geography of the state which is responsible for many ills. Secondly J&K is geographically divided on the religious lines.
Geographical, religious and political division is absolute as is seen from the last election results. Majority Hindu Jammu elected 24 Hindu legislators. Majority Muslim Valley elected all Muslims as legislators. Ladakh voted for Buddhists. In the ruling coalition too there is religious division. All the 27 PDP MLAs are Muslim. 24 out of 25 BJP MLAs are Hindus. Thirdly religious divide was has entered Legislative Assembly where a Hindu BJP MLA thrashed a Muslim MLA over beef issue. Religious division brought the violence in the streets and State Assembly. Violence such as this type is going to stay unless some bold steps are taken. Pandits and trifurcation are the last hope. Situation as this suggests debate and rethink of trifurcation of the state. Being nationalists to the core, Pandits must return to the valley and save Kashmir.
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