The Prime Minister has spoken about the attacks on Kashmiris,and he has done so not a day too soon. This is good but not good enough. Someshocking snatches of videos have emerged showing Kashmiris being targeted afterthe Feb. 14 suicide bombing that killed 49 CRPF personnel in Pulwama. Speakingin Rajasthan, Narendra Modi made the all-important distinction between thefight against terrorists in Kashmir and ordinary Kashmiris, the majority of thepeople in J & K, who have nothing to do with terrorism. This distinction isa no brainer. But in the charged atmosphere in the aftermath of the Pulwamaattack, this has been allowed to be forgotten as violence was unleashed oninnocent Kashmiris living, studying and doing business across India.
The enormity of this crime cannot be overstated because itsends out the clear message that Kashmiris cannot find safety in the rest ofIndia. It gives fillip to the anti-India arguments of divisive forces and ofcourse plays right into the hands of those who want a clear dividing linebetween Kashmir and the rest of India. What better way to sell the idea thatKashmir is not an integral part of India? Pulwama created a sense of insecurityand wrought havoc. It was gruesome. Body bags highlight the enormity of thecrime. The attacks on Kashmiris also wrought havoc save that we miss the damagebecause it is not so obviously visible. The end-result of the two actions isthe same – to weaken India. There have also been cases of immense warmth andpride and humanity, when ordinary citizens across India, notably in largemetros, have opened their doors and announced that they would welcome anyKashmiri seeking shelter. Sikh volunteers did exemplary work in looking afterKashmiris who faced attacks in Dehradun. Individual stories of courage andoutreach are inspiring but they cannot undo the damage done by intimidation andviolence.
Arrest the culprits
The Prime Minister has quite correctly said that anyincident, big or small, should not occur. But now that these incidents haveoccurred, what should the government do? Not acting against the perpetratorswhile speaking against them sends the wrong signal. The respective State policeforces should be asked to look into every case of violence, investigate andprosecute the guilty. Further, those who have been forced to leave at theheight of terror must be welcomed back into the community with a clear messageto everyone, particularly students, that they would be protected and allowed tolive their lives in the cities of their choice and run with institutions andbusinesses of their choice.
J&K is not the only State to have suffered in thismanner. There have been incidents of attacks on people from the North-East.There was a time when several people from the North-East were attacked in NewDelhi. Similarly, this is not the only time that people from J & K haveseen violence. This has been a long running story over the years. When morestudents from J&K visit other States and study there, they take importantfirst steps in integrating with the rest of the country. Nothing helps growminds, drive learning and build life-long friendships like years spent togetherin college. The more this is encouraged, the better it helps students – allstudents – learn and grow together.
This is also a part of the thinking that has powered theprogramme of the Human Resources ministry to promote exchange visits ofstudents from J & K to other States and vice versa. For example, onRepublic Day last year, the ministry of Human Resources Development concludedits Jammu & Kashmir Student Exchange programme called ‘Maitreyi Yatra’. Itwas a direct exposure for the youth of J&K to be acquainted with theculture, language and development story of different parts of the country.Nearly 500 students of Jammu & Kashmir from Class IX to Class XII alongwith 50 supervisors visited Delhi in January 2018. This was to be followed bystudents from Delhi visiting J&K in the summer months, and more exchangeprogrammes of a similar kind. In fact, the ministry worked on a plan to useeducation as a tool to bring normalcy back to J & K. Similarly, the army’sNorthern Command has quietly and efficiently conducted “Operation Sadbhavana”over the last few years. Under this, the army organises trips for students andyouth from Jammu and Kashmir to the rest of the country. More than 7,000students have travelled under this scheme. Rogue attacks on innocent Kashmirishave ruined all these efforts in one sweep.
Student travel
Students travelling to study is not uncommon. More from J& K should be studying in the various colleges of India, given thedisruptions and difficulties seen in the Valley. As with every such student,the attempt is to find a connection, and often ride piggyback on a friend whohas moved out and tried it out. Indian workers often went to the Middle Eastthis way. Students studying internationally latch on to friends or seniors whohave done the same. IT workers seek the comfort of friends similarly, and atleast initially. Then they break out and branch out. But the initialsettling-in is a vital first challenge that is broken by walking on the path ofa friend, a cousin, a neighbour. It works at all levels. In Mumbai, many yearsago, the Shiv Sena grew in strength while the Bombay Regional CongressCommittee (BRCC) under the late Murli Deora never thrived or attracted theyouth because local Maharashtrian youth found a sympathetic ear in the culture,language and interaction of workers at Shiv Sena Bhavan in Dadar whereas theBRCC seemed alien.
In all of this, word of mouth is very important. Students whofeel welcomed will bring in many others. If they feel intimidated, the storythat will spread will be quite another. Unnecessary suspicion, police supervisionor constant fear of being asked to prove their loyalty will ensure that no onefrom J&K comes to study.
J&K schools gutted
The J&K Economic Survey for 2016 tells us what studentsundergo within the State. The document says, “The impact of strikes has beendeep and profound on the educational atmosphere in the Valley. The academiccalendar got altered and was adjusted in order to meet up with the currentsituation. Technical education institutions/students in the valley were notable to complete their academic/practical work fully within the prescribedperiod.” Further, it reports, thirty-one school buildings were gutted (17 fullyand14 partially) during the turmoil period in 2016. Fifteen school buildingswere saved by the ‘chowkidars’ or employees of the Education department orpeople of the local community. The situation cries out for deeper ties withinstitutions across India.
India and Indians should know more about what is going on atthe grassroots in J&K, the suffering of the ordinary people who often arevictims on both sides – police actions hurts them as much as terroristactivity. We know about the people when more come in and tell their stories.So, the J&K students should be welcomed with open arms. We must listen totheir voices and their pain. That’s the swiftest way to realise and understandthat ordinary Kashmiris are our friends, people whose stories have been keptaway from us. Let these conversations flow. That is a powerful way to defeatdivisive forces and promote integration.
(The author is Editor Foundation of The Billion Press and afaculty member at SPJIMR).
editor@thebillionpress.org