In the strife-torn valley of India-controlled Kashmir, the decades-long conflict continues to take its toll, especially on its young. Dilnaz Boga has met some of them.
Every Friday, after the prayers, the slogans begin. A violent dance of marking territories unfolds on the streets of Srinagar, the summer capital of India’s northern state of Jammu and Kashmir. Shops draw their shutters, the streets empty and residents avoid peeking out of their windows for fear of tear-gas shells. ‘Yesterday, the CRPF broke all the windows,’ says Mumtaz Begum from Nowhatta. ‘We’ve stopped replacing the glass.’ Suddenly, the troops position themselves to push the protesters back. Trouble begins.
When people don’t get justice, they have no choice but to take to the streets
Flying stones bounce off the shutters of closed shops. Protesters charge at the band of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) men. The uniformed men take cover behind an armoured vehicle and ‘the match’ begins. Both sides pelt each other with stones. When the battle seems to get out of hand, tear gas is fired. But the young boys remain undeterred. They change tactics by trying to use the by-lanes in an attempt to surround the forces. They begin the charge. Too close for comfort, the forces resort to discharging shells at close range. Unfazed, the attackers abuse them and continue to engage them.
A masked teenager rushes at a battered armoured vehicle nicknamed the Taj Mahal, and kicks it, knowing well that two gun barrels are sticking out of its rear door. ‘This vehicle has been stoned so many times, it is ruined. That’s why we call it the Taj,’ laughs a protester. Fleeing the shots fired by security personnel, the protesters and I take shelter in somebody’s house. A wedding is in progress. Ten minutes later, when the firing stops, we step out to find the forces gone. ‘They’ll be back. They’ve gone for reinforcements. It’s about to turn ugly,’ a local photojournalist says ominously. He adds: ‘In the Hindu-dominated Jammu region, they use water cannons to deal with protesters. In Muslim-dominated Kashmir, they use bullets. That’s life.’ Alienation from mainstream India and victimization are the dominant sentiments here.
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