The alleged suicide of a Kashmiri research scholar at the
English and Foreign Language University, Hyderabad, on 2 March has made many
believe that he was forced to commit suicide — or rather murdered by some
pro-Hindutva group — because he had arranged a protest march in the campus
against the secret execution of Afzal Guru. In his funeral address, Syed Ali
Shah Gilani also claimed that it was not a case of suicide. A news report
claims that as many as 50 Kashmiri students who were enrolled in different institutions
in Dehradun have been forced to “abandon” their studies and “return home”. The
reason, as the report cites, was that they all were “terrorised by Hindutva
goons.”
The report quoted a returned student, Mohammad Shafi, as
saying, “After the arrest of at least 16 Kashmiri students for holding protests
against the execution of Guru on February 9, I along with my friend went to
Indira Nagar market for shopping. As we entered the shop, a group of at least
40 BJP activists came and dragged us out of the shop. They beat us mercilessly
till we fell unconscious.” The student added, “After we reached our rooms under
police cover, Hindutva activists again came there during night hours and tried
to storm into our rooms. Fearing for our lives we left for our homes in the
night only as we could not move out due to the fear of the Hindutva goons
during the day time.” Similar incidences were reported from Delhi and Aligarh
as well where workers from youth wing of BJP harassed the protestors who were
shouting slogans against the government’s decision to hang Guru in ultimate
secrecy.
In a democratic country like India, the right to protest
against any of the government’s stand is supposed to be the very base of
democracy. A gentleman always says, “Democracy reins in a country as long as
its citizens are free to criticise the government’s policy without any fear of
discrimination and so.” And it is the government’s duty to protect its citizens
including those who have opposed its stand on one point or another. As far as
the hanging of Afzal Guru is concerned, a remarkable number of “secular”
citizens and Human Rights organisations have condemned the government’s
decision and expressed their anger publically. In its statement, Human Rights
Watch urged the Indian government to “end this distressing use of executions as
a way to satisfy some public opinions” (Radiance Viewsweekly, 24 Feb-2 March).
Inappropriate hanging of Guru invited a heavy amount of
cry, anguish and fury not only from inside the nation but also from across the
globe. In such circumstances, organising protest marches and shouting slogans
against the ruling party especially by Kashmiri students was quite natural. On
the contrary, the way BJP workers attacked and tried to crush the protesting
voices cannot be justified at any rate. How comes a group of people debars some
students from their right to education on the pretext of their organising a
protest march in a democratic country and the government seems not to be in a
mood to take any action against them. The University Grant Commission, which
has written to each and every university to ensure security of women after
recent gang-rape in the capital, has also turned a deaf ear over insecurity of
Kashmiri students across the country as if the matter does not pertain to the
commission at all. However, the students who have returned from Dehradun, have
urged the Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir to intervene in the matter so
that they can go back to continue their study in their respective colleges and
universities in a conducive atmosphere. What step the government takes on the
issue is yet to be seen.
Now, from a different point of view, a question might
haunt everyone: why is BJP so much provocative on the issue? It was UPA that
hanged Guru and all the protests and slogans were anti-UPA or rather
anti-Congress and not against any other specific party. In this case, the
retort, if expected, was likely from the Congress workers so as to prevent
people from opposing the stand of their party. But this is the first time the
writer witnessed an opposition party supporting its opponent “with full
devotion.” In fact, the Kashmiri people have always been subjected to
discrimination and unfairness even in their state sometimes for their demand of
separation and sometimes for the prejudices of others. And because of this
prejudice, the country loses hundreds of great minds every year which can give
the nation a lot.
It is not fair to hate all Kashmiris because Afzal Guru,
who was supposedly behind the attack on Parliament, belonged to the state. Or
is it reasonable to abhor the people of Maharashtra, because the assassin of
Gandhi hails from the state? Or can anyone here justify disregarding the
residents of Nilgris, Tamil Nadu, on the ground that their elected leader, A
Raja, was the kingpin of what we call the biggest corruption in the country and
the greatest loss to the national exchequer? Or was it justified to attack on
Sikhs because the assassination of Indira Gandhi was carried out by a member of
thiscommunity? The writer has always seen written on the walls of prison “pap
se nafrat karo papi se nahi” (Hate the crimes and not the criminals). Now it is
the time to change our prejudice and write those lines on the wall of our
hearts and act in its accordance.
The alleged suicide of a Kashmiri research scholar at the
English and Foreign Language University, Hyderabad, on 2 March has made many
believe that he was forced to commit suicide — or rather murdered by some
pro-Hindutva group — because he had arranged a protest march in the campus
against the secret execution of Afzal Guru. In his funeral address, Syed Ali
Shah Gilani also claimed that it was not a case of suicide. A news report
claims that as many as 50 Kashmiri students who were enrolled in different institutions
in Dehradun have been forced to “abandon” their studies and “return home”. The
reason, as the report cites, was that they all were “terrorised by Hindutva
goons.”
The report quoted a returned student, Mohammad Shafi, as
saying, “After the arrest of at least 16 Kashmiri students for holding protests
against the execution of Guru on February 9, I along with my friend went to
Indira Nagar market for shopping. As we entered the shop, a group of at least
40 BJP activists came and dragged us out of the shop. They beat us mercilessly
till we fell unconscious.” The student added, “After we reached our rooms under
police cover, Hindutva activists again came there during night hours and tried
to storm into our rooms. Fearing for our lives we left for our homes in the
night only as we could not move out due to the fear of the Hindutva goons
during the day time.” Similar incidences were reported from Delhi and Aligarh
as well where workers from youth wing of BJP harassed the protestors who were
shouting slogans against the government’s decision to hang Guru in ultimate
secrecy.
In a democratic country like India, the right to protest
against any of the government’s stand is supposed to be the very base of
democracy. A gentleman always says, “Democracy reins in a country as long as
its citizens are free to criticise the government’s policy without any fear of
discrimination and so.” And it is the government’s duty to protect its citizens
including those who have opposed its stand on one point or another. As far as
the hanging of Afzal Guru is concerned, a remarkable number of “secular”
citizens and Human Rights organisations have condemned the government’s
decision and expressed their anger publically. In its statement, Human Rights
Watch urged the Indian government to “end this distressing use of executions as
a way to satisfy some public opinions” (Radiance Viewsweekly, 24 Feb-2 March).
Inappropriate hanging of Guru invited a heavy amount of
cry, anguish and fury not only from inside the nation but also from across the
globe. In such circumstances, organising protest marches and shouting slogans
against the ruling party especially by Kashmiri students was quite natural. On
the contrary, the way BJP workers attacked and tried to crush the protesting
voices cannot be justified at any rate. How comes a group of people debars some
students from their right to education on the pretext of their organising a
protest march in a democratic country and the government seems not to be in a
mood to take any action against them. The University Grant Commission, which
has written to each and every university to ensure security of women after
recent gang-rape in the capital, has also turned a deaf ear over insecurity of
Kashmiri students across the country as if the matter does not pertain to the
commission at all. However, the students who have returned from Dehradun, have
urged the Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir to intervene in the matter so
that they can go back to continue their study in their respective colleges and
universities in a conducive atmosphere. What step the government takes on the
issue is yet to be seen.
Now, from a different point of view, a question might
haunt everyone: why is BJP so much provocative on the issue? It was UPA that
hanged Guru and all the protests and slogans were anti-UPA or rather
anti-Congress and not against any other specific party. In this case, the
retort, if expected, was likely from the Congress workers so as to prevent
people from opposing the stand of their party. But this is the first time the
writer witnessed an opposition party supporting its opponent “with full
devotion.” In fact, the Kashmiri people have always been subjected to
discrimination and unfairness even in their state sometimes for their demand of
separation and sometimes for the prejudices of others. And because of this
prejudice, the country loses hundreds of great minds every year which can give
the nation a lot.
It is not fair to hate all Kashmiris because Afzal Guru,
who was supposedly behind the attack on Parliament, belonged to the state. Or
is it reasonable to abhor the people of Maharashtra, because the assassin of
Gandhi hails from the state? Or can anyone here justify disregarding the
residents of Nilgris, Tamil Nadu, on the ground that their elected leader, A
Raja, was the kingpin of what we call the biggest corruption in the country and
the greatest loss to the national exchequer? Or was it justified to attack on
Sikhs because the assassination of Indira Gandhi was carried out by a member of
thiscommunity? The writer has always seen written on the walls of prison “pap
se nafrat karo papi se nahi” (Hate the crimes and not the criminals). Now it is
the time to change our prejudice and write those lines on the wall of our
hearts and act in its accordance.
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