Who’s responsible for the current Kashmir Situation?

Kashmir is once again on the boil. Lot of innocent Kashmir blood has spilled on the streets of Kashmir. The anti-India sentiment is on the high once again. The recent strategic change of public protent from bullets to rock-pelting has gained momentum. The result is heart rending. More than a dozen budding youth have been killed in action. Curfew is imposed in almost whole of Kashmir and Army actuated to help the civil administration.
The situation is nothing new for Kashmir. Such incidents have recurred many a time in the recent years. Last year it was Swami Amarnath Shrine land row and the Shopian incident that incited a widespread anti-India protest. It seems that the separatist movement has become an organized industry that is helping many people both in Kashmir and outside. The socalled leaders of separatist movement have gained a lot out of it by becoming the most sought after leaders of Kashmir. The Government of India has made them VIPs by inviting them frequently for talks over the Kashmir issue and allowing their frequent visits to various countries including Pakistan and meeting important dignitaries there.
It’s no secret that our neighbouring country Pakistan is actively backing this whole mess which has now turned to be a fully organized anti India movement. Pakistan has fought three wars over Kashmir and has everytime failed to grab it by force. Now she is fighting a proxy war against India in Kashmir by creating terror and exploiting the religious sentiment of innocent Kashmiris. It started in early eighties when lots of Kashmir youth were forcibly taken accros LOC and pushed back after brainwashing and training them in the use of all sophisticated weapons. It was a part of a well thought over plan to take final cudgels with India. They worked under the orders of their masters from across the border. The first step was to cleanse Kashmir of all pro-Indian elements including Kashmir Pandits. The common Kashmiri was confused but no one could raise a voice for fear of gun. Those who ventured were instantly gunned down by calling ‘Mukhbirs’.
With the passage of time things improved and the masses in Kashmir began expressing themselves openly by taking part in elections and sending their representatives to the State Assembly and Indian Parliament. It was after a long time that the real sentiment of a common Kashmiri was expressed openly that the Kashmiri in his heart of hearts was not anti-Indian and he wanted peace and prosperity above all. Pakistan in general and the separatist leaders in particular seemed thus isolated and they sat down to devise newer plans and strategies to fan up the innocent sentiment of a Kashmiri. These hawks of politicos are always on a look out for a cause so that the common man is intigated to come out on roads to protest and shout slogans against India and keep the pot boiling for their ultimate personal benefit and not at all out of any sympathy for the masses.
This time they discovered a novel way of protest which would involve the maximum people in the protest against India and cost almost nothing ----- stone pelting with or without any reason. It had the desired effect. A group of youth go on pelting stones on a security post and in order to save themselves from injuries the men in uniform chase them away and if they resist more forcefully use Lathi-Charge, tear gas smoke or even firing if the situation so demands. Now in the case of a casualty it becomes a cause for more protest and lot of sentiment from the bereaved families and all cross section of people.
This’s what has been happening in the recent past that gave rise to the present volatile conditions in Kashmir. The vested interest comes out to blame India and its forces of brazen arrogance and sheer misuse of force. How far is it justified is for the readers to decide with an open and unbiased heart? The security forces do not enter the homes of people to harm them. They use force in their self defence. Their presence around the residential areas is necessitated just to maintain law and order in the circumatances and when they’re compelled to use force how are they expected to act as lambs of sacrifice for the stone pelters?

Kashmir and Lord Shiva (Shiv-Ratri special)

Kashmir is the abode of Lord Shiva. The presence of the Lord is dominantly felt everywhere in Kashmir. Every nook and corner suggests the glaring presence of the Lord in one form or the other. Besides the abundance of man-made temples there’re numerous mysterious spots and places that indicate to the live presence of Lord Shiva. The world famous Swami Amanath Swami Cave Temple is the prime example. Kashmir Shaivisim is a significant contribution to the spiritual world. Shiv-Sutras of Vasu Gupta are said to contain the basic tenets of the philosophy. The contribution of the great poet-scholar of Kashmir Abinav-Gupta who wrote and practiced extensively about the Lord is tremendous. Lalleshuri (Lal-Ded) was the first Kashmiri mystic and poet who taught in the simplest language of common man the comprehensive secrets of Shaiva philosophy with such an impact on the listeners that her poetic compositions (vaakhs) were preserved and carried through generations as a sacred word of the Lord. And strangely her impact on the people of Kashmir has crossed all bounds of religion, caste and creed. Next in the line is the famous Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Wali also called Sheikh-ul-Aalam or Nunda-Rishi who also sang the praises of Lord Shiva in his very popular poetic compositions (Shrukh). A number of other Muslim Sofi poets of Kashmir have sung numerous immortal songs in the praise of Lord Shiva. They include besides lots of less renowned, Shah Gafoor, Rahim Saeb, Shamas Faqir, Samad Mir, Ahad Zargar and Ahmad Batwari. The immortal songs of these mystic poets, far above the discrimination of faith, have created the unwavering faith among masses that only Lord Shiva is the prime diety of Kashmir. One more glaring example worth quoting is that of Ali Mardan Khan, an Afghan Governer of Kashmir and a devout Muslim who had a strange dream in which he saw Lord Shiva along with his royal consort riding a bullock. The impact was so great that immediately in the morning he wrote his famous poem in Persian, “Humaan asl’e Maheshwar bood / Shab Shah’e ki man dee’dam ----” describing the strange aspect of the Lord that he saw in his dream and singing His praises. The other immortal songs written in the praise of the Lord that dominate among the Kashmir Pandits especially are sung by numerous KP mystic poets notably Pandit Parmanand of Mattan and his disciple Laxman Ji. Krishna Joo Razdaan of Vanpuh, the famous poet of numerous devotional poems is also the poet of the famous Shiva Leela --- “Bell'e tay Madal Vaine gulab -----” sung and rendered to beautiful music by the Kashmir legend Ustaad Tibat-Baqaal quite popular among all Hindus and Muslims equally.

HAIRATH --- 2010

The sweet fragrance of Hairath is again in the air. KPs are celebrating Hairath on 11th Feb and Salam on 12th, the day of Maha-Shivratri or Shiv-Chaturdashi. The 21st year of our displacement from our paradise Kashmir has moved on and the prospect of our return to our beloved home seems equally bleak. Neither the authorities nor we have been able to do anything about it and the nostalgia goes on deepening with its impact creating lot of frustration and stress in our ranks.The years that went by have recorded many surprises both inside and ouside Kashmir, both with those who’re out and those who continue living there. Kashmir has shown tremendous progress with the development of all modern civic infrastructures including the first train movement on its soil. The government of India has been providing thousands of crores year after year to the State for her maintenance and development to keep her above par the other states of India with her own resources not more than ten percent of her requirements. The situation there is showing considerable improvement on its face though with a slight jerk of an event or two the separatist elements those’re always on the lookout for a cause to come out and exploit the situation to their fullest. The recent Swami Amarnath Ji land row and the Shopian agitation, when looked honestly into were nothing beyond a political stunt triggered by the forces to invite world attention to a big news in Kashmir. This’s a clear indicator that the authorities both in Delhi and Kashmir are not able to devise and adopt a suitable strategy to bring the situation under control on the one hand and winning the hearts of the masses on the other. India has unfotunately failed to counter the propaganda of our enemy forces with her naked truth in the diplomatic fora. Our weak administration has frequently been propelled into fake dialogues by the biased international community with the separatists in Kashmir and especially with our tormenter country Pakistan though the results are always known before their commencement. The most unpleasing aspect of the whole affair is the criminal sidelining of KPs and taking their misery of displacement for granted as if they’re quite comfortable and enjoying pleasantly their pain and suffering.
Our own leadership ranks are exceeding day by day in number and decreasing in quality and influence. That’s the reason we’ve not been able to give the administration a fight capable to force then solve our problem of settlement on its merits. A considerable number of our brothren are still living in most inhuman condition in camps in various cities especially Jammu. A good number of our youths are suffering for want of resources for a respectable vocation and our elderly are suffering from a strange deprivation syndrome and disease hitherto unknown. Lots of our people suffered untold miseries of disease and death in an atmosphere quite unsuitable to them. We’ve lost our roots, our language, our peculiar culture, our customs and above all our sacred individuality.The most cogent and justifiable demand of KPs for the creation of a separate Home-Land ‘Panun-Kashmir’ within Kashmir with a union territory status has not been able to gain an effective ground with the administration only because our voice is not capable to break the corridors of their power or influence. Ours is no vote-bank capable to invite the attention of the seekers of power in elections. The only qualification that we boast of and which has made us stand on our legs so far is our academic and technical brilliance. Our youth are shining in every field of work and vocation with their brilliant performance of hand and head and the result is that we find their sprinkling presence in all high and low corridors of corporate world everywhere throughout the globe.
The people at the helm in Delhi have in the first instance blundered drastically by not giving strict directions for stopping the mass migration of not less than half a million KPs in a single go from Kashmir in 1990 by making all security arrangements for them urgently at any cost and subsequently by not taking instant and effective measures to make possible our immediate return to our homes without losing much time to safeguard the national interest first and our individual rights second. Now much of water has flown down the rivers of Kashmir and the conditions have deteriorated substantially and our return has become much more complicated than before. The authorities have never tried to judge the situation on ground that all the traces of India in Kashmir are gradually dwindling and the local administration though sworn by the constitution of India does not discourage the trend for fear of losing public support in their favour. All traces of Hindu culture that were present in abundance in the valley are dwindling day after day. All important Hindu installations in the form of temples and names of places etc are being encroached upon gradually such that almost all Hindu flavour that existed in the valley before 1990 is missing. The fundamentals of the policy for continuing India in Kashmir is essentially to strengthen sincerely all available Indian elements there on priority but the authorities have miserably failed in this important function. The Kashmir Pandit (KP) was the strongest pro India force in Kashmir that belonged to its soil and his absence from the scene has given a severe blow to the Indian influence in Kashmir. Our administrative machinery is probably unaware of this important fact or is deliberately shying away from this important responsibility towards the nation.
Let’s still not lose hope and wish for a better future and take a vow on this auspicious Hairath to work with renewed strength and force to regain our lost Paradise, Kashmir ---- Tatha-Asto.

Something is cooking at the centre

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh along with his Home Minister seems very keen currently to do something about the long standing so-called Kashmir Problem. Their proposed immediate and serious parleys with the separatist leaders of Kashmir smells foul. Both secret as well as open diplomacy is at work. There are indications that the activity is a result of severe diplomatic pressure especially from the US who want the problem solved according to the aspirations of the people of Kashmir as soon as possible. The reason of this urgency is not very far to seek. The recent trend of anti-India public mobilization of massive crowds by the separatists in Kashmir that started in the wake of Amarnath land row and continued this year in the form of public protests against India in Shopian and the aftermath has given a cause to the world community to pressurize India. It’s no secret that the separatist leaders continue to remain on the fore of Kashmir polity by exploiting the religious sentiment of Kashmiri Muslim on one count or the other otherwise they have never been publically accepted as popular leaders in Kashmir. What’s emerging now out of these wide protests is again a point of concern for all the nationalists both inside and outside Jammu and Kashmir State. These protests seem to have rung the corridors of power so severely at the international level particularly at the behest of Pakistan that India is keen to settle the issue on now or never basis. How India is retracing her steps in her stand regarding Kashmir day in and day out is quite obvious. The authorities at the helm in Delhi bank upon only a few self styled so called separatist leaders and ignore blatantly the sentiments of people throughout the state, both inside and outside valley, who in fact do not want any change in the current arrangement of the state. The authorities in Delhi have succumbed to the international pressure to the extent that they consider the opinion of these separatist elements paramount and ignore the emotions of the masses in the entire state of J&K. These separatist leaders do at best represent a negligible number of Kashmir Muslims who’re not happy with the policies of the present state government. They’re the same people who have been pampered by the GOI all these years by making them important just to make them suitable contestants for the settlement of Kashmir issue?
The GOI seems to coddle an idea of carving an independent Muslim State within the secular fabric of this country and what the repercussions of the plan would be are not far to seek. It’ll be a second partition of the country on the basis of religion and naturally those whom it would not suit will try to leave for their safety and thus the history of 1947 would repeat along with all its horrible aftermath. It’ll be nonetheless termed as a complete surrender to the anti-national elements throughout India bent upon weakening this nation to fulfill their nefarious designs besides a compromise with those a few people actively sponsored by Pakistan and her allies. It’s no secret that these self-styled leaders have been outright rejected by the masses in Kashmir by participating in large numbers in the State as well as Parliament elections recently. As is smelt from the urgency and the style of diplomacy shown by the present GOI there seems some deep rooted conspiracy working behind the curtain which has prompted the government to bypass all traditional policies vis-à-vis Kashmir and act irresponsibly in the case of a very sensitive issue......... (not concluded)

SHRI SHA'RIKA AS'TUTI

Shri Sha’rika Asthapan is an ancient and the holiest of the holy shrine of Kashmir situated in the periphery of Srinagar. It’s the abode of Jagatamba Sharika Bagwati also known as Maha-Tripursundari or Raja-Rajeshuri. The eighteen armed Goddess is considered the presiding deity of Srinagar city. The Goddess Sharika is represented by a self-made Srichakra also called Mahashriyantra, which consists of circular mystic impressions and triangular patterns with a dot (bindhu) at the Centre. The holy Srichakra is engraved on a vertical holy rock (Shila) located at the middle of western face of Hari Parbat. Shri-Yantra is the most auspicious, most powerful Yantra worshipped for attaining all worldly desires. The saints and spiritually elevated persons devote themselves to it and achieve liberation from the cares of the world. The shrine called ‘Chakrishwar’ can be approached by a flight of one hundred and eight chiseled stones. The number one hundred and eight has a mystical significance in Hindu mythology.
The following As’tuti (devotional poetry), penned by a Kashmir Saint and a fervent devotee of Maa Sha’rika Swami Krishna Joo Kaar in Persian Language is very popular among the devotees of the goddess. For the interest of the readers and the devotees of Maa Sha’rika the verses are translated into English.
Awal Tu’yee, Aa’khir Tuyee; Zaa’hir Tu’yee, Baa’tin Tu’yee;
Haa’zir Tu’yee, Na’zir Tuyee--- Shree Shari’kaa Devi Na’mah.
You’re the beginning, you’re the end. You’re the manifested, you’re the un-manifested. You’re the omnipresent and you’re the veiled ----- I offer my salutations to thee, Mother Sharika!
Dee’vi Jagat Maa’ta Tu’yee; Shiv Shak’ti Gur Data;
Maa’ta Tu’yee, Bra’ta Tu’yee--- Shree Shari’kaa Deevi Na’mah.
You’re the mother goddess of the universe. You’re both Shiva and Shakti and satisfier of all benedictions. You’re both mother and brother to me --- I offer my salutations to thee, Mother Sharika!
Ha’jat Rawa’yay Aal’may; Shah-E-Jahane Ak’rami;
Ka’yim Muqame Day’mi--- Shree Shari’kaa Dee’vi Na’mah.
You’re the fulfiller of all wishes for the whole world. You’re the greatest of the great ruler of the world. Your kingdom is eternal ------- I offer my salutations to thee, Mother Sharika!
A’az Har Sae Karan Bar’tari; Dar’har Du-Aalam Sar’vari;
Har Farq An’dhar Af’sari--- Shree Shari’kaa Dee’vi Na’mah.
You’re beyond the three Gunas --- Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, the three fundamental human attributes. You’re far superior to whatever is good in these two worlds (Aakash and the Earth). You enjoy the most superior authority in both these worlds ---- I offer my salutations to thee, Mother Sharika!
Seem-O-Zar’o Bahar’e Du’ree; Lo’laye Lae’le Gow’hary;
Ze’be Do-Aa’lam An’wari--- Shree Shari’kaa Dee’vi Na’mah.
You’re the ocean of gold, silver and diamond. You’re the storehouse of the choice of the choicest jewels. You’re the source of all beauty of the two worlds ---- I offer my salutations to thee, Mother Sharika!
Sa’ham-O-Gazan’far Waha’nat; Shiv Ji Hast Zier’e Aasanat;
Laal-O-Jawahir Dama’nat ---- Shree Shari’kaa Dee’vi Na’mah.
The lion and the bullock, both are your vehicles to ride on. Lord Shiva is stationed under your sitting mat. The lower edge of you garment is fitted with most precious jewels ----- I offer my salutations to thee, Mother Sharika!
Tuu Char’dah Ratan’e Garaa’n; Tuu Nau’nidaan’e Be’kara’n;
Tuu Kaan’e Gow’her Dar A’maa’n--- Shree Shari’kaa Deevi Na’mah.
You’re the forty times precious jewel. You’re the matchless source of all superior knowledge. You’re the basic source of all the choicest technology and knowledge ----- I offer my salutations to thee, Mother Sharika!
Shak’ti Tu Kud’rat Shud Ayaa’n; Tahat’e Tu Bhakt’e Jaa’vidaan;
Tahat’e Tu Ursh’e Laa’makaan--- Shree Shari’kaa Dee’vi Na’mah.
It was only with your power that the whole nature came into existence. All the greatest of the great eternal devotees of the Lord are under you subjugation. The whole universal activities act under your orders ----- I offer my salutations to thee, Mother Sharika!
Naag’e Trilok’e Tir’th Jaa’t; Sarchashma’ye Aab’e Hayaat;
Aa’bash Baqa’yey Kayi’naat--- Shree Shari’kaa Dee’vi Na’mah.
Your spring, the Chakhrishur, is the choice of the choicest pilgrimage of your devotees. It’s the ultimate source of all life giving nectar (Amrita). The water of this spring is the preserver of all life in the whole universe ---- I offer my salutations to thee, Mother Sharika!
Khaak’e Dhar’at Kahal Ba’sar; Sang’e Samee’rat Khisht’e Zar;
Bar Haal’e Mis’keenam Ni’gar--- Shree Shari’kaa Dee’vi Na’mah.
The dust of your doorstep is the Surma (the black powder applied to the eyes for beauty) for the eyes of your devotees. The step stone at your door is made of pure gold. The wretched condition of this your devotee wishes your one single kind gaze ---- I offer my salutations to thee, Mother Sharika!
Nuur’e Jahan’e Sunda’rey; Taa’band’e Maher’e An’warey;
Mah’e Firo’zaa’n Akh’tari--- Shree Shari’kaa Dee’vi Na’mah.
The beauty of your face is the source of all universal light. Its shine is the eternal sun. It’s also the source of the super shine of the moon --- I offer my salutations to thee, Mother Sharika!
Chakhri’shura’t Haa’jat Ra’waa; Saaz’o Ga’daa Raa Paad’shah;
Wah’wah Ch’e Lakhsh’mi Thap’naa--- Shree Shari’kaa Dee’vi Na’mah.
The Chakrishwar tirtha is the fulfiller of all wishes of the devotees. It has the capacity to make a king out of a beggar. What a great seat of Maa Lakhshmi! --- I offer my salutations to thee, Mother Sharika!
Rogan Chirag’e Pam’puri; Sin’door Kha’say La’huri;
Cheh’rat Ku’nam Zar’do Zar’ey--- Shree Shari’kaa Dee’vi Na’mah.
I collected the best available ghee (clarified butter) of Pampore (which has the reputation of having the flavour of saffron as the cows there feed on the grass growing around the saffron fields) for your Ratten Dweepa. I got the Sindoor best of its kind from Lahore and after mixing it with the Pampore ghee painted your face in full golden yellow ------ I offer my salutations to thee, Mother Sharika!
Dar Bar’gaa’hat Roz’u Sh’ab; Narad Muneshwar Baa A’dab;
Dar’baan’e Dar’gaahat Talab--- Shree Shari’kaa Dee’vi Na’mah.
The omnipresent Lord Narad Munishwar is present there day and night with full devotion. He performs the duties of a gate-keeper most diligently at your sanctum sanctorum ---- I offer my salutations to thee, Mother Sharika!
Gul Aaz Sar’e Khud May Ku’nam; Brinj Aaz Dil-O-Jaan Aar’panam;
Puza’ye Tuu Khwa’ham Kunam--- Shree Shari’kaa Dee’vi Na’mah.
Instead of a flower I offer my own head to you. Instead of the grains of rice (Aragh) I offer my heart and soul for your worship. I want to perform your suitable worship ----- I offer my salutations to thee, Mother Sharika!
Ma’an Aari’zoyam Be Nawaa; Uf’tada’am Bay Dast-U-Paa;
Das’tam Bi’geer Aaz Tuu Dayaa--- Shree Shari’kaa Dee’’vi Na’mah.
I’ve become the embodiment of immense desire for your single glimpse (Dharshana). I’m deprived of all my limbs and have crippled with the desire. Now I wish you hold my hand out of pity on my condition and lift me up ----- I offer my salutations to thee, Mother Sharika!
Ma’an Aa’z Tu Naa’dey Chaa’kre Ma’an; Gya’naa Ja’paa Ma’alaye Ma’an;
Praan Aa’z Tu Pranaayam’e Ma’an--- Shree Shari’kaa Dee’vi Na’mah.
Your Naadi-Chakra is the force of my life. The repetition of your sacred name (Japa) is my rosary. The movement of my breath in your sacred devotion is my Pranayama ----- I offer my salutations to thee, Mother Sharika!
Shri Isht Deevi Shari’ka; Dass’e Tu Ah’qar Krishna Kaar;
Goyad To’taa Jo’yad A’tta--- Shree Shari’kaa Dee’’vi Na’mah.
I call upon you, my Isht Deevi Maa Shari’ka. It’s your servant, the lowest of the low--- Krishna Kaar. I’ve done your Astuti and wish your benevolence ----- I offer my salutations to thee, Mother Sharika!

SATSANGA, the celestial association

Satsanga is a celestial association of the devotees of the Lord with a purpose to delve deep into some subtle divine secret to gain more and more love of the Lord. It also includes the singing of devotional songs (Kirtana) either jointly or listening to them with extreme devotion and also the religious discourses conducted by certain learned religious scholars and preachers with a small or a large gathering. Satsanga is a valuable spiritual aid to bring the seeker closer to the supreme consciousness. It’s considered the easiest and the most effective way to reveal the supreme awakening of the soul within the seeker. This association demands heartfelt sincerity and deep devotion on the part of the participant. The more of devotion the simpler is the way to salvation and purity of soul which’s the ultimate purpose of all devotees and the motive for all activity towards the Lord. In Satsanga usually a good number of people assemble together, united in purpose such that their physical energies work in unison and there’s a collective flow of divine vibrations that has the capacity to inspire the truest love for the Lord leading to the highest divine achievements. As a prelude to all celestial activities the seeker needs to rise above the common demands of the physical existence, Lust, anger, greed, attachment and ego and their controlling mind and make a sincere effort to develop a flawless love for the Lord and once there’s some development in this direction there’s an automatic uplift of the soul and then Satsanga gives a great boost to the seeker.
For a common man busy in the mundane affairs physical afflictions are common. These are both natural and man made. Regular participation in Satsanga with deep devotion and love makes all these calamities at least easier to deal with and with consistent efforts there’s an end to all worldly troubles as there’s almost negligible feeling left about the pinch of these things for a seeker who has gone some distance in the path of divinity.
The real purpose of human life is to get liberated from the cycle of life and death and in order to attain this object one has to detach himself from the glamour of worldly activities and work for getting awakened to the secrets of life and the universe but the lure of worldly affairs is so captivating that life passes away like a dream and the main purpose of life is ignored by almost everyone and thus the process of reincarnation continues. Those who understand the truth of this life and work tirelessly for the achievement of its purpose are great eternal souls who’ve become one with the universal Lord and all the doors of awakening are open for them and nothing has remained unattained for them.
There’re two types of seekers in the path of divinity, those who shun all worldly affairs and remain absorbed with the Lord all the time away from the attention of the common man and those who opt to be apparently active with the worldly affairs---who run a family, bear children, work actively to earn a living but are mentally detached from the mundane world and work secretly for the achievement of the real purpose of life. These household saints do have a guide (Guru) or in certain cases do not require one as they’re already enough awakened to their main purpose of life. Satsanga or the celestial association is of great help to them as they themselves not only make a rapid advancement out of it but also carry along lots of people by developing in them the truest love of the Lord which helps them a long way towards a better awakening without any hurdles besides a comfortable worldly existence. The repetition of God’s name in its various forms in complete isolation with mind fixed at a certain point is a great vehicle for spiritual advancement but the same activity in unison within a group of devotees (Satsanga) gives a magical uplift of mind towards higher consciousness. The association of a pupil with his master (Guru) is the most revered activity in the celestial field and hence the choicest Satsanga. It involves the highest devotion of the taught for his teacher so much so that the master becomes the truest representative of God for the pupil making him capable to experience all the truths of divinity and helping him open all the doors of spiritual advancement. The modern social set-up and corporate living provides lots of tension and absence of peace. The common man deeply involved in the worldly affairs is largely benefited from occasional participation in Satsanga of varied type especially by providing him an instant peace of mind.

THE MURDER MOST FOUL

The gruesome murder of Rajneesh Sharma, a Jammu youth by Kashmir police inside Ram Munshi Bagh Police station in Srinagar is highly deplorable. The boy was taken into custody by the concerned police from his residence at Sarwal locality in Jammu on Sept 30 on a complaint of kidnapping of a Muslim girl Amina from Srinagar whom he had actually married legally and the wedding registered with an appropriate court of law. The body of Rajneesh bore obvious torture marks which incited a wide protest from the people of Jammu. The post-mortem reports also confirm the brutal torture though the final opinion of the experts is awaited.
Such brutal police excesses are not rare in this country but this particular case carries some deeper ramifications. The Muslims in the valley take such an incident of inter-religious marriage a severe affront especially when a Kashmiri Muslim girl chooses a Hindu boy as a life partner. In this case the boy was from Jammu and naturally the tempers ran too high. The worst part of the episode is how the Kashmir police authorities actively initiated action with the arrest of the boy from his residence and ended with his obnoxious murder inside the police station Ram Munshi Bagh. Obviously the action was taken with the active support of the highest civil as well as police authorities with the lone motive of a revenge from the Hindu boy’s adventure alliance with a Muslim girl from Kashmir. The incident clearly reverberates the environment that Kashmiri Pandits faced while in Kashmir in good olden days before 1990. How we had to be in complete subordination to the whims and foibles of the majority community even in the most ordinary activities in life is an example in itself not to speak of such an adventure activity. KPs had not only to bear insults from their Muslim neighbours patiently even during celebrations of some of their religious ceremonies but also become victims of their fury whenever India won a match or a Muslim trader was taken to task anywhere in India for any of his misadventures. There’s usually a mass celebration among Muslims whenever anyone of them enters into wedlock with a Hindu girl with mutual consent as the basic condition for the girl is to convert to Islam and perform marriage according to their custom but conversely the things usually turn explosive if the girl with a Hindu background opts to marry a Muslim boy. The event reflects clearly the biased attitude of the Kashmir administration toward Hindus in the State and how far the authorities can initiate any brutal action against them according to the sweet will of a Kashmir Muslim. The reader can easily imagine that the KPs were forced to leave Kashmir in early nineties especially to make the Kashmir administration clean of all the Hindu and Indian elements and make a smooth way for the Muslim administrators to act clean as suited to their vested interest otherwise in a mixed administration such brutal happenings were almost impossible. It’ll not be out of place to mention that a few partners in the said administration from Jammu have no say in any of the important policy making and their counterparts from Kashmir are bold enough to overpower them or ignore them easily to make a smooth way and take their biased decisions in all matters. It’s gradually becoming open to all Jammuites that the Kashmir administration is bent upon working for the interest of Kashmir Muslim only not for any the people of any other part of the State. The Kashmir Pandit, reputed worldwide for his administrative and academic capabilities is almost completely sidelined and ignored in J&K simply because he has always been a strict adherer of the national interest and is now content with working satisfactorily in the broader echelons of national and international forums.
All the saner elements at the national level generally and State level particularly are out and out to admonish the criminal act of the Kashmir Police and demand an independent enquiry and severe punishment for the perpetrators of the crime.