A new wave of killings has swept Kashmir in the last few weeks. It all started with the killing of three young boys in Pattan on September 14. All of them were declared militants. While police maintained that they fell to the inter-group rivalry between Hizbul Mujahideen and the new splinter group Lashkar-e-Islami, silence cast a shadow over the reality. There was no widespread condemnation on day one and it took the separatists a little over 24 hours to call a strike to protest the killings. At the same time, the Hizbul Mujahideen owned the boys, calling into question the police’s theory.
This new, rather mysterious violence has rattled Kashmir, and could be easily connected with the frightening policy named “Catch and Kill” executed by the Police in the mid-1990s, when militancy was at its peak. It also could somehow find some relevance to the phenomenon of inter-group rivalry, which took a heavy toll on the movement in the 1990s when nearly 500 boys of various organizations were killed at the hands of fellow militants who ostensibly had the same goal of pushing India out of Kashmir. Since Kashmir and its situation have always been an enigma, and the conflict has not allowed the truth to come out, both these theories became fodder for the competing narratives of the separatists and the government.
Truth becomes a casualty in the conflict
Whatever the truth, these killings sent shivers down the spine of most Kashmiris, as people feared bad days ahead. Whosoever was responsible, Kashmir shut down to protest, without knowing the real story behind the killing. If the Police would come out with the outcome of their investigation, there would hardly be any takers, given the state’s dismal record of bringing out the truth. The same way, accusations by the separatist camp may not be taken as truth in such cases. So in the end, truth becomes a casualty.
The killing of these three boys evoked a strong sense of frustration in the public. But there was much worse in store. Four days after this, a gruesome act was reported from Sopore, where a former militant Bashir Ahmad Butt was fired upon. He died on the spot, and his three-year-old son Burhan got was seriously wounded. Bashir’s killing might have been taken as a routine incident, but the next day when the news about Burhan having succumbed to his injuries reached the people, it literally shook Kashmir. There was hardly an eye that did not shed a tear. There were hardly any questions about who killed him and who was responsible. Barbaric, inhuman, callous and tragic were the words that suddenly started trending on social media.
The impact of Burhan’s killing was huge. Again, the separatists called a strike. Regardless of whether these strike had anything to do with demonstrating anger over the deaths, the outrage in Kashmir was evident. Many people equated the boy’s death with that of Alyan Kurdi, who was killed under almost similar circumstances in Syria recently.
Hizbul Mujahideen has made a comeback
One thing is clear –the way Kashmir responded to Burhan’s death showed that such an incident was not intolerable and unacceptable in this society. Perhaps because of this anger, no outfit – whether known or unknown – claimed responsibility for the attack. Sometimes when the consequences are evident, previously unknown organizations surface and claim the responsibility. But in the case of the attack on Burhan and his father, nothing can be said. Those challenging the Indian authority in Kashmir would blame the government or its overt and covert forces for the attack, while the police is blaming the militants. But there has to be a transparent and impartial probe into the inhuman act.
This mysterious hand did not stop at that. A day later, another militant commander was found dead in the Tangmarg area of same district.
Kashmir has been on the edge as violence has come to the center stage once again. In the absence of meaningful political engagement, frustration is palpable, and the way people are being pushed to the wall will further aggravate the situation. Looking at this frustration as only a law-and-order or security issue has always had a negative impact on the situation in Kashmir.
A member of the Indian paramilitary forces uses a slingshot to throw stones at Kashmiri Muslim protesters during clashes in downtown Srinagar
In the wake of the death of the 3-year-old Burhan, Kashmir stands united in denouncing violence in whatever form it knocks at our doors. This has been demonstrated by all the sections of the society. And if we go back a little, Kashmir’s desire for peace and its support to non-violent movements to achieve political goals made it clear that the region was no longer a fertile ground for violence.
But the stark reality that has dawned upon Kashmir now is that we have yet another Burhan, who is compelling scores of youth to join the ranks of militants. If there would have been a space for political engagement and if someone had realized that the alienation was so deep, things would have been different.
Today, the complexion of militancy in Kashmir has changed. It is no longer the domain of foreigners in Kashmir. An increasing number of locals are joining the ranks of militants.
If little Burhan was able to unite the civilian Kashmir – though unfortunately with his death – the grown up Burhans who don handsome military fatigues have gathered youngsters under the umbrella of militancy.
This has paved the way for Hizbul Mujahideen to make a comeback. Josy Joseph recently wrote in The Hindu that the Hizb was now the biggest group in Kashmir. “Political neglect by New Delhi of the improving condition, its failure to find a lasting solution to the Kashmir issue, and continuing heavy militarization of the region seems to be breathing life back into local militancy,” he wrote on September 13, 2015.
In case this neglect continues, Kashmir may witness more depressing moments, and according to experts, things may become uncontrollable. Three-year-old Burhan has woken us up. We must not go back into slumber. For the civil society, it is time to resist the vagaries that may consumes one more generation.
