Video By: Aneesa Hamid | Text By: Sajad Rasool
‘they (Police and CRPF) broke into my house during the night and thrashed me and other family members’, Fareeda a middle-aged women narrates her ordeal as how forces vandalized her house and damaged property. Over the past several months of unrest in Kashmir Valley, nocturnal raids carried out by police at the houses of youths involved in protests has left their families terrorized.
Women in Kashmir have been facing the brunt of the ongoing conflict at individual, social and family levels. As per a report of an NGO, EHSAAS – “Women are the worst sufferers of the conflict. They are sufferers of violence by state and non-state actors. The number of rape, molestation cases, enforced disappearances and the number of half-widows, half-orphans and orphans since 1989 bear witness to the fact that women continue to suffer immensely. Violence has badly affected them physically, psychologically, socially and economically,” the report states.
The 2016 unrest saw widespread use of force against the civilians by forces, Women are often harassed during the night raids at the homes of young boys involved in ‘stone pelting’ cases.
All know there has been proxy war perpetrated in Kashmir Valley of J&K by Pakistan for past 2 decades. This war had been a violent mix of brutal terrorism; violent street protests engineered by Pak sponsored huriyat; a bunch of paid ‘so called’ activists; and venom spewing islamists wahabi mullahs. The J&K govt and Indian state has been successfully fighting this ‘war’ at multiple fronts. There has been negotiations with huriyay as well as with militant leaders however, such kashmiri leaders have been ruthlessly killed by Pak agents/ terrorists to sustain its proxy war.
Now, world over in any covilised society, what does law enforcement agency do when group of armed terrorists or violent stonepelters take shelter or hide in a house? Of course, they would raid such houses to apprehend law breakers. If the residents resist, there would be measured violence or evenndetention. This story being told in video – please note those complaining, have no injury.
Now about Mr Pervez, the so called ‘HR activist’. He sure looks hale & hearty and also claims he was treated well in detention. Yet he assumes (mark – he assumes) that other detainees would not have been treated well. He claims some ‘innocent’ boys were even stripped & roughed up by police. First, he didplays immense faith in judiciary which released him from detention in less than 2 months yet, he does not trust same judiciary as being capable of dealing with other cases of wrongful detention. He hides the fact that there have been numerous instances of judiciary’s positive intervention. Also, on numerous occasions, youth detained gor relatively minor offences, have been released by the state itself. Almost all cases of preventive detention made for preempting violence, have been reviewed immediately once peace is restored. What would Mr Parvez demand from the state if his house was stonepelted & damaged by someone or if his house was burnt or his or any of his family members’ skull was broken by stonepelter? Would he not demand from the state that the goons be arrested? Mr Parvez chooses to tell half truths. Many choose to make personal gains out of conflict situations. He is quite articulate and so choosing to self style himself as HR Activist is the smartest thing to do to gain instant name, fame, money and maybe even future political career. He is either a self seeking smart alec or an enthudiastic novice who doesn’t understant prevailing prevailing socio-political & conflict dynamics. Overall, biased report by Mr Mir based on selective & immature inputs from hale & hearty yet cribbing & fibbing immature individuals who as it is, reflect a miniscule minority of civil society of Kashmir