Violence S Against the Unarmed Protestors in Kashmir: a Disguised Brutality

Violence’s against the Unarmed Protestors in Kashmir: A Disguised Brutality Bilal Ahmad Shah1, Dr. P. Chinnathurai2 1. Ph. D Research Scholars, Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Annamalai University, E-mail: [email protected] 2. Associate Professor, P. Chinnathurai, Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Annamalai University Email:[email protected]

ABSTRACT The summers of Kashmir views the human encroachments, infractions, infusions, violations, humiliations and witness the brutalities done by the government forces and though government officials ruthlessly and allegedly. All the government officials and blazons have blazed up and are responsible for turning the colorless spring’s water into red sea with the blood of youth flown and drawn through the hands of blazons in the whole valley of Kashmir. Why? Because every victimized father, mar mother, torment brother, lament sister, thunderstruck widow and starved orphan were demanding justice for their near and dear ones. Because of injustice this wave changed into heartedness and has bystander the hundreds of civilian lives mostly the youth in the valley. This study puts forth all the occurrences and happenstances that took place in whole valley, created chaos and confusion done by the insane minded rulers and their living robots against the unarmed protestors in the blessed valley, this study is a limelight on the killings of civilians and also the rise of human rights violations during the phase of 2008-July2013,

Key words: - Jammu and Kashmir, violations, civilians and forces.

Introduction

In Kashmir, there is one soldier for every twenty citizens. There are over 5,00,000 equipped troops, 3,00,000 army men, 70,000 Rashtriya Rifle soldiers, 1,30,000 central police forces as against the total inhabitants of 1 crore. In the past 20 years, a cohort of Kashmiris has grown with militia at every street corner ‘often even in their breathing quarters’. The grievance of the people is that instead of confining the role of the military and security forces to that of external defence and as against freedom fighters, it is regularly and endlessly used for domestic repression. This excessive deputation forces has resulted in wiping out all breathing space for the exercise of democratic rights by the people, the result being hounding of the people at large. This has resulted in merciless action on all dissent, and at the same time the armed forces indulges in acts of violence against people with impunity. Arms uprisings in Jammu and Kashmir have brought wreck to the human dignity. People feel unstable, terrified and aggravated. They are killed either by militants or by security agencies. The passing of some draconian laws like POTA, TADA, and AFSPA have given a kind of killing authorization to the forces. To human rights groups, it is such provision that allow security forces to toil with virtual impunity. Dissent and peaceful protest is the quintessence of democracy, but in Kashmir such is the height of growing fanaticism that nonviolent protests are labeled as ‘agitational terrorism’. METHODOLOGY Survey method has been adopted for this study. The data from the samples were collected regarding the Human Rights crises in the villages of the Anantnag District of Jammu and Kashmir State. There are five Tehsils in the Anantnag District where five villages have been identified (Five villages from the Tehsils). In each village respondents were selected as per the proportion of the population. The total numbers of the samples selected randomly were 200. This study also have been covered from the data’s of Journals, Articles, news papers, Published and Unpublished dissertations, government reports and human rights agencies reports (2008-July2013) mostly about the amaranth land issue and Kashmir unrest. This study aims to highlight the brutalities done by the Indian security forces, Jammu and Kashmir police in response with state and central government of India and gather information about the killings of civilians and the facts on which public was having the anger towards the forces and government. Evaluation of Facts, Killings during the Year’s 2008- July 2013 in Kashmir valley In the summer of 2008, a dispute over land being allotted to the Amaranth Shrine Board coalesced into a massive, non-violent uprising. Day after day, hundreds of thousands of populace defied militia and policemen – who fired straight into the public gatherings, killed more than 60 unarmed protestors and thronged the streets. A similar unpleasant incident was witnessed on account of a Shopian rape and murder case wherein two women Neelofar Jan (22) and Asiya (17) were alleged abducted, gang raped and murdered in mysterious circumstances on the intervening night of May 29 and 30, 2009 at Bongam, Shopian left district by the CRPF. The incident also resulted in losing life of dozens of innocent people who came on to streets for seeking justice which was denied. In both the incidents of 2008 and 2009, the demand for justice, self-determination and removal of the Indian forces and voice against human rights violation intensified but both the times it was denied. In year 2009 total numbers of killings were 377 out of which 55 were civilians. Interestingly, in 2010, the demand again intensified in form of ‘Quit Kashmir Movement’(Kashmir Unrest) when on June 11 one student Tufail Ahmad Mattoo (17) was killed by the security personnel which upto August 31 has taken the lives of more than 65 innocent persons ranging from the age of 8 to 65 years. In 2010, total 112 civilians were killed when security forces fired at civilian protests in different places across Kashmir valley and lone place in the Poonch district of the Jammu province. While the origins of the unrest may be traced to recent events, the lack of political resolution of the Kashmir issue has contributed to the protests. The resolution of Kashmir issue often lies at the heart of the demands of these protestors. The year 2011 has just passed, and many have declared this year, a peaceful year in Jammu and Kashmir. Of course assertions of peace by various quarters are relative. Enforced silence cannot be construed as peace. Despite then publicity of peace, people have witnessed unabated cruelty, human rights abuses, rebuff of civil and political rights, and nonappearance of mechanism of justice, heightened militarization and surveillance. The stature of violent incidents suggests that 2011 as usual has been the year of loss, ill-treatment, sorrow and soreness for the people. In 2011, a total of 233 people have been lost their lives due to vicious incidents in Jammu and Kashmir. Out of 233 persons, 56 were civilians, 100 were alleged militants, 71 were armed forces personals and 6 were undisclosed persons and counterinsurgents renegades. Out of the total 56 civilians killed this year, 11 were students, amongst whom 7 were minors. Also in the midst of the civilians killed 6 were women. The year 2012 yet again like previous years, the government of Jammu and Kashmir had claimed the year to be peaceful. This hyped peace was void of justice & peace and was packed with violence & injustice. In the year 2012 the people of Jammu and Kashmir in routine had witnessed unabated violence, human rights abuses, denial of civil, political rights and absence of mechanisms of justice and heightened militarization and surveillance. The figures of violent incidents suggest that 2012 as usual had been the year of loss, victimization, lies, mourning and pain for the people. In 2012, a total of 148 people had lost their lives due to violent incidents in Jammu and Kashmir. Out of 148 persons, 35 were civilians, 75 were alleged freedom fighters, 36 armed forces personnel, 1 was an unknown person and 1 a retired police officer. Out of the total 35 civilians killed that year, 6 were children and 9 were women, amongst whom 4 were tourists. Accordingly in the months of year 2013 upto July brutalities has been done usually and in these months total killings 36, custodial killings were 3, tortured/critically injured 474, civilians arrested 290 and women gang raped 5. Below table and figure shows the number of civilians killed during the years: Table 1.1 Total civilian Total civilian Total Total civilian Total civilian Total civilian killings in killings in 2009 civilian killings in killings in killings in 2008 killings in 2011 2012 2013 upto 2010 July 60 55 112 56 35 36 Computed: tabulation of civilians killed during 2008-July2013

Figure 1.1 No thorough investigation has been done on how the people were killed. Claims of how many people died over the last five and half years. This huge loss of life in a state with a population of less than 11 million, especially since the casualties have been primarily from the Kashmir Valley which hosts just over half of that population, has had a deep psychological impact on Kashmiri society. The misgovernence has led to a sense of helplessness, but little hard data to verify those claims. There has been only a very limited drawdown of Indian military and paramilitary deployment. In these years the forms of protest have changed shape drastically. The stone has replaced the gun. The past three years – 2008, 2009 and 2010 – have seen the biggest people’s demonstrations in Kashmir.

Analysis of Data Who among the fallowing is responsible for human rights crises in Kashmir valley from 2008- 2013? A)Pakistan and separatists B) Central Reserve Police Force and J&K Police C) Government of J&K Government of India D) Both B and C Table 1.2 Variables A B C D Total Gender Male 11.00 19.00 14.00 64 108 Female 6.00 11.00 3.00 72.00 92 Age Below 30 20.00 9.00 16.00 75.00 100 Above 30 7.00 13.00 17.00 63.00 100 Religion Muslim 3.00 14.00 19.00 84.00 120 Hindu 15.00 5.00 2.00 24.00 46 Sikh 2.00 2.00 5.00 11.00 20 Others 3.00 1.00 3.00 7.00 14

Figure 1.2 Results and discussions

You have no right to say, what angers the Kashmiris? Because:- . Overpowering attendance of armed forces in the Valley. . Governing of Kashmir as although it is an occupied region. . Firing at democratic protestors and other human rights violations. . Killings of innocents and their being pigeonholed as militants. . No lodging of FIRs against the troops who are in connection with killings of innocent youth. . Treating Kashmiris as militants in every corner of the country and other side shouting in assemblies ‘Kashmir is the integral part of India’. CONCLUSION The scale of the popular backing for the resistance in Kashmir can be judged from the established fact that virtually all the citizenry of Srinagar (Capital city of Kashmir) - men, women and children - came out dozens of times on the streets to lodge a non-violent protest against the continuance of Indian occupation. At times the number of people in these peaceful processions exceeded 1 million. Forces had tried to portray the uprising as the work of terrorists or fanatics. Terrorists do not compose an entire population, including women and children. This popular and non violent resistance is a living proof that the people of Kashmir will not compromise, far less abandon, their demand for self-determination which is their birthright and for which they have paid a price in blood and suffering which has not been exacted from any other people of the South Asian subcontinent. Compared to the sacrifice Kashmir has had to endure, India and Pakistan themselves gained their freedom through a highly civilized process. This mimicry mostly covers the killings of civilians in the Kashmir valley; study further tries to analyze the level of human rights violations taken place in these years. The years of Amarnath land issue (2008) and Kashmir Unrest (2010) have shown the height of brutalities faced by the civilians. Kashmir which was once known as the paradise on earth has now changed into hell for the civilians residing there. Public have lost faith over the security forces, because of security forces existence they now feel insecure. FINDINGS AND SUGGESTIONS The findings reveal some very startling and insightful details, the lessons of which can become pointers to, and a basis for, alternate practices and arrangements. These can, in the short term, avoid such huge loss of life and, in the longer term, address the context and root of the protest as it were, in an effort to engage with it substantively and constructively. Some of the immediate pointers that emerge in the course of the study are;  Alarming brutalities has been done during these years mostly the years of Kashmir unrest 2010, of those that died were from relatively civilian class and students formed a critical portion of this with high percent of those having died being students. These kinds of brutalities should be curbed in order to gain the faith among the public and should be solved kind of matters peace fully.  Instead of giving the public justice they have been kept mum by the force, there speech has been buried by the excessive use of arms. The public should be given justice and those who are involved in injustice should be punished.  The unarmed protests have been curbed by the arms, which is against the laws of constitution and international laws and we should follow the laws of our constitution and the international laws which are liable to everyone. 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