Jantar Mantar Protest Site For All Except The Kashmiris

http://www.thecitizen.in/jantar-mantar-protest-site-for-all-except-the-kashmiris-3/

Kashmiri Muslims Personae non Grata at the National Protest Site?

Over the last sixteen months – ever since the 16 December, 2012 brutal gang rape in Delhi – we have been regularly visiting the nationally recognized protest site at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi for our work viz a modest attempt to document dharnas/sit-ins/candle light marches/vigils/rallies/effigy-burning/hunger strikes/gherao of Parliament and police action viz arrest/lathi-charge/teargas/firing at protesters. It is at this site that activists in movements/andolans/campaigns from all over India protest to demand their rights and condemn illegalities/injustices on issues of gender, caste, race, sexuality, disability, communalism & human rights. For about six months hundreds of people would assemble daily to protest against the brutal gang rape. With in a few days of occurrence of what was called ‘Nirbhaya’ gang rape case, a group of Kashmiri Muslims had reached the protest site and raised the issue of rape of Kashmiri women by the armed forces. An elderly Kashmiri Muslim lamented that the rape of Kashmiri women is neglected by the national press but was happy that at least the rape of ‘Nirbhaya’ has shaken the conscience of the nation!

Within a few hours of Afzal Guru’s surreptitious hanging at Tihar Jail on 9 February, 2013 social activists, democratic rights groups and students from Kashmir studying in various universities in Delhi assembled at Jantar Mantar to protest. Placards carrying the following messages were held by the protesters – How many Afzals will you hang?; Shame on murderous democracy; End the military occupation; Afzal was not given a fair trial. Just as the protest action started off, a couple of right wingers started kicking the Kashmiri students and used derogatory language against them. The policemen present were silent witness to this assault. Not one policeman came to the rescue of the Kashmiri students. The slogan of ‘Azadi’ rent the air. In the melee that ensued a large police van got stationed itself near the protesters. Soon the policemen bundled off the Kashmiri students into the van ensuring that non-Kashmiri supporters from Delhi were segregated out. At that very point of time some other groups at Jantar Mantar who were separately protesting for their own demands got agitated over the Kashmiri students protest. One such group lent its mike to the right wingers to shout slogans against the Kashmiri youth. Nearby protestors demanding for a separate State, Gorkhaland started supporting the right wingers, too! The Kashmiri students were detained at the Mandir Marg Police Station, New Delhi and released later in the evening. No case was registered against the right wing assaulters. In fact these assaulters were moving around freely in the Police Station precincts.

Recently on 11 March, 2014 a private T.V. channel was recording views of Kashmiri students at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi on the issue of sedition charges leveled against 68 Kashmiri students for cheering a Pakistani cricket team in the hostel hall of a Meerut University. The disturbances caused by the right wingers almost threatened the compere to abruptly stop the recording. The policemen stationed 20 feet away did not intervene even after a complaint made by a Kashmiri women and this writer. The Kashmiri students left in a huff without getting their full say recorded. The right wingers were castigating the Kashmiri students, condemning the Pakistanis and succeeded in their threats to get Kashmiri students move away. One of the Kashmiri students said, “if we stay any longer we would be lynched.” So much for the freedom of expression enshrined in the Indian Constitution! The program titled “Is cheering for Pakistan in an Indo-Pak cricket match an act of sedition?” was aired the same evening at 10.30 p.m.

What is perhaps tolerated at Jantar Mantar, is a young Kashmiri Muslim working in Delhi who appeared at Jantar Mantar on 16 and 17 March, 2014 with his face masked protesting against the killing of a youth, Farhat Ahmad Dar who was shot dead at Naidkhai area of Bandipora, Kashmir by police forces on 14 March, 2014. The placard he was holding read “Stop State Sponsored Terrorism in Kashmir – Brother Farhat – Fourth Day – One Can’t Dictate Terms on the Point of Gun For Too Long in the 21^st Century”. The same youth with his face masked appeared again on the 27 March, 2014 on the 18^th death anniversary of the killing of a human rights lawyer and activist, Jaleel Andrabi who was killed by Indian army on 27 March, 1996. He stood facing the scorching sun for 4-5 hours on both occasions. Occasionally he would drink water from a bottle he was carrying in a knapsack. Passers-by who went near him were told he had no demands on the Indian Government! While the youth was not beaten up, the entire media kept silent on the protest. Apparently if Kashmiri Muslims agree to make political the personal, space is conceded to them at Jantar Mantar.

Apparently to ward off the threats and disturbances of the  rights wingers, Afzal Guru’s first death anniversary protest was consciously not held at Jantar Mantar; though one meeting was held in an auditorium around two miles away from Jantar Mantar.

In sharp contrast was the ‘treatment’ meted out to the 23 odd Kashmiri Pandit organizations and the bandobast extended by the local administration and the Rapid Action Force personnel for their ‘protection’ – not that they needed any. This protest on 16 March, 2014 was organized on the rumour – later found to be untrue – of a proposal to rechristen Shankaracharya Hill in Srinagar as ‘Takht-e-Suleiman’. Of course a Bhartiya Janata Party MP addressed the gathering. Representative of the Kashmiri Pandits used the occasion to castigate Pakistan and Kashmiri Muslims; to ask for repeal of Article 370 of the Constitution; to condemn intellectuals who found nothing wrong in Kashmiri students cheering Pakistan cricket team recently; to build up phobia about Kashmir slipping away from the Indian State; and lamenting about how six lakh Kashmiri Pandits have been driven away from Kashmir. There was no disturbance from any quarter during this protest. Ironically, the lone Kashmiri Muslim youth stood nearby – about 30 feet away – to protest the killing of Farhat Ahmad Dar. This youth did not disturb their meeting but listened patiently to the castigation of Kashmiri Muslims. Perhaps he was practicing the adage “I may not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it.” The Kashmiri Muslims could easily teach a lesson or two about democracy to rest of the Indians.

Last year a group of Hindus from the Sindh province of Pakistan had demonstrated at Jantar Mantar to demand that the Indian Government provide them aid. They were on tourist visas to India and claimed that they had no future in Pakistan. During the protest that continued for a number of days they freely shouted slogans against the Pakistani Government. The right wingers had organized the protest and supported them throughout.

A Muslim Pakistani journalist-cum-activist along with his wife has been on an indefinite protest at Jantar Mantar against the alleged atrocities committed by the Pakistani Government, ISI and the Pakistani army against the duo. The right wingers are at peace with their protest.

It is interesting to note that after the Supreme Court judgment on 11 December, 2013 re-criminalizing homosexuality a few hundred gay and lesbian rights activists held a demonstration at Jantar Mantar protesting against the judgement. They were freely shouting slogans against the judgement and asking for ‘Azadi’ scores of time. It is a happy development that the right wingers present around did not assault these protesters. Would the Kashmiris too be allowed such niceties? In the subsequent months several protests were organized by LGBT groups at Jantar Mantar. Luckily they were not kicked and abused for shouting slogans like ‘Azadi’.