Not much is heard about what is happeningin Jammu and Kashmir in these times of the pandemic. But even when the peoplethere are seriously concerned about the spread of the Coronavirus, the Hindutvarulers are busy designing what is now called the “union territory” of J&K.For the people of the Kashmir valley there is no let up in the repression andsuppression of rights they have been experiencing since August, 2019.
The lockdown of J&K preceded thelockdown of India by a full eight months. That lockdown was not caused by anyepidemic or health emergency. It was a political lockdown which accompanied anassault on the Constitutional and democratic rights of the people of J&Kwhich resulted in the dismantling of the state and its special status underArticle 370 by the Modi government. It was marked by a total clampdown on thefundamental rights and civil liberties of citizens; detention of thousands ofpolitical leaders and activists; shutdown of the internet and muzzling of thepress; and closure of schools and movement of people.
In the second lockdown which began, as inthe rest of India, on March 25, the assault has been intensified. At a timewhen the people are battling the virus, the UT administration which is directlyrun by the Central Home Ministry, is engaged in dismantling the Kashmiriidentity and polity by laying the basis for demographic change. There is alsothe ongoing political project of reshaping the political set-up throughdelimitation of seats for the future truncated assembly and propping up apuppet political party.
The administration which is tackling thecorona epidemic is completely insensitive to the sufferings of the people. Uptonow (April 22), 407 persons have tested positive, a high proportion, incomparison with other states in terms of its population. The health system iswoefully inadequate to deal with the epidemic. It is reported that there areonly 97 ventilators in the Valley which has a population of 7 million. Theeconomic relief provided during the lockdown is also minimal, much less than otherstates in the country. Only free rations for BPL families and Rs. 1000 from theConstruction Workers Welfare Fund to the construction workers have beenannounced and partially implemented. There is no cash grant to the thousands of workers and artisans who lost their livelihood or any other formof income support to poor families.
The first lockdown itself had made tens ofthousands jobless in the tourism and handicrafts sector. Horticulture, such asapple and saffron, had suffered severe losses due to inclement weather and lackof transportation and marketing. The second lockdown has only deepened thecrisis and the losses. Yet the Centrally administered authority is focused onpolicing the people and stamping out all signs of dissent.
In the last week, three journalists havebeen targeted. One of them, a woman photo-journalist, Masrat Zahra, has beenbooked under the draconian unlawful activities act, the UAPA, for someunspecified Facebook posts. The others have FIRs lodged against them. InKashmir, criticising the Central government or the Modi-Shah duo attracts theterrorism charge for journalists.
This gagging of the media is taking placewhen a major step has been taken to facilitate demographic change in theValley. A notification issued on April 1, has changed the nature and scope ofdomicile status in J&K. Earlier, only the J&K Assembly could decide whocould be permanent residents. That has been changed and domicile status can begiven at the administrative level. The rules have been changed so that anyperson who has resided for 15 years in the territory can claim domicile status.Similarly, if a central government or central PSU employee has lived there forten years, he or she becomes eligible to be domiciled, so also their children.The notification stated that Class IV category of jobs will be reserved fordomiciled persons. This meant that people from outside the territory couldbe recruited for the other categories.
This notification caused an upheaval andall sections of people including from Jammu opposed it. So two days later, therules were amended so that all categories of government posts were reserved forlocal and domiciled people. This however did not change the definition ofdomicile. By this new law people from outside J&K can get domicile statusand get government jobs and buy land. This opens the way for ex-servicemen tosettle down and buy land – a long sought out plan of the BJP and RSS.
It is in order to ram through such measuresthat the lockdown is being utilized. The bureaucratic-authoritarian regime thatexists in J&K is used to behaving like an occupying power. Of thosein detention, hundreds were sent to jails outside, mainly in Uttar Pradesh andHaryana. Since the corona pandemic, there has been a public clamor fortheir release and return. Since last month, the process of revoking thedetention orders under the Public Safety Act began and over a hundred prisonersin UP and Haryana got release orders. But even here, the inhumanity is visible.In UP, the prisoners were told that their families should come with the releaseorder and arrange to transport them back to Kashmir. Scores of such familieshave faced enormous difficulties to go by road to UP and bring back thereleased persons. Inter-state restrictions have to be overcome and much moneyspent to hire transport. It was the State which detained them and transportedthem to faraway jails. It should be the State’s responsibility to bring themback. Further, all those who are in detention in J&K jails have not yet beenreleased, posing a risk to their lives with the spread of the virus.
In the meantime, there is a spurt in militant activity and attacks, something which could have been predicted given the brutal suppression of all democratic rights. The absence of any political process and democratic activities whatsoever, condemns the state to a vicious cycle of violence and counter-violence in which ordinary people are the worst sufferers. The people of Kashmir are unable to distinguish between the twin plagues that have afflicted them – the virus and the suppression of democracy.
Prakash Karat is member, Polit Bureau of CPI(M).