On Friday, 2nd of July, 2010 people at several places tried to defy the curfew imposed by the Government to march on the call of Edd Gah Chalo given by Hurriyat Conference (G). People from almost all the Districts assembled after Friday prayers to march forward but almost at all the places they were stopped by force. Even they were fired at Harai, Handwara in District Kupwara where a number of civilians are reported to have been severely injured. At most of the places State Police alongwith CRPF resorted to severe lath charge and when the people dispersed under immense charge of Canes and teargas several young boys were arrested. Not being able to punish the perpetrators of innocent deaths, Government seems to be irresponsible in the matter and has been carrying out arrest of small boys most of whom are school going, some of them in their teens. Hundreds of boys are reported to have been arrested all over the valley.
It has been reported that many of them have been confined for long term jails under draconian laws like J & K Public Safety Act. Though arrests and torture in Kashmir is not a new thing it has been used as State Policy since 1947 even the standing Prime Minister (Shiekh Abdullah) and the out going Prime Minister (Bakhshi Ghulam Muhammad) was not spared. During nineties it was a rule rather than exception that in a crackdown males were divided into two groups those who supported beards and those who did not support, then most of the bearded men of every age have to face third degree torture besides long term confinements. Thousands of youth were put in jails in and outside Jammu and Kashmir (like Sangroor, Jodhpur, Tihar so on and so forth).
The indiscriminate confinement of young people and their torture rendered many of them futureless and some even disabled. Many of them had to leave their studies half way and many lost their jobs and businesses. One of my friends in jail was denied to even sit in the competitive medical entrance test even after his parents had done all formalities and had got Court Orders also. The families of these young men had to suffer even more, large expenses for visiting their sons various jails at Jammu, Delhi, Punjab and even Rajasthan which they could not bear. I remember one of our neighbors had not enough money to visit their son in Kotbhalwal Jail at Jammu and finally succeeded only when his other young siblings provided him the pocket money which they had collected for years together. The pain and agony of these families did not end here. These boys could not apply for the Government Jobs because Police will never provide them Character Antecedent Certificate a pre-requisite. They cannot go to Indian mainland because Police there always haunts for them. They cannot even leave for the foreign soil because they cannot be issued Passports. A perpetual punishment for being a kashmiri muslaman. Many of these families are now living hand to mouth and some of them who could put brave face are on the forefront of the Kashmiri Resistance Movement.
We may need hundreds / thousands of pages to put down the sufferings of those who were subjected to illegal confinement and torture for all of these years. However, what we wish is that this vicious circle of confinements and torture should not start again even when the so called elected Government projects to have heart for the people. We demand that these boys should be released immediately without any delay as they have committed no crime except some of them have shown their dislike for the perpetual killing of their brothers and a few more are peacefully demanding to be given right to self determination which India has promised them. Hope the policy of perpetual punishment to the Kashmiri Nation is not continued.
It has been reported that many of them have been confined for long term jails under draconian laws like J & K Public Safety Act. Though arrests and torture in Kashmir is not a new thing it has been used as State Policy since 1947 even the standing Prime Minister (Shiekh Abdullah) and the out going Prime Minister (Bakhshi Ghulam Muhammad) was not spared. During nineties it was a rule rather than exception that in a crackdown males were divided into two groups those who supported beards and those who did not support, then most of the bearded men of every age have to face third degree torture besides long term confinements. Thousands of youth were put in jails in and outside Jammu and Kashmir (like Sangroor, Jodhpur, Tihar so on and so forth).
The indiscriminate confinement of young people and their torture rendered many of them futureless and some even disabled. Many of them had to leave their studies half way and many lost their jobs and businesses. One of my friends in jail was denied to even sit in the competitive medical entrance test even after his parents had done all formalities and had got Court Orders also. The families of these young men had to suffer even more, large expenses for visiting their sons various jails at Jammu, Delhi, Punjab and even Rajasthan which they could not bear. I remember one of our neighbors had not enough money to visit their son in Kotbhalwal Jail at Jammu and finally succeeded only when his other young siblings provided him the pocket money which they had collected for years together. The pain and agony of these families did not end here. These boys could not apply for the Government Jobs because Police will never provide them Character Antecedent Certificate a pre-requisite. They cannot go to Indian mainland because Police there always haunts for them. They cannot even leave for the foreign soil because they cannot be issued Passports. A perpetual punishment for being a kashmiri muslaman. Many of these families are now living hand to mouth and some of them who could put brave face are on the forefront of the Kashmiri Resistance Movement.
We may need hundreds / thousands of pages to put down the sufferings of those who were subjected to illegal confinement and torture for all of these years. However, what we wish is that this vicious circle of confinements and torture should not start again even when the so called elected Government projects to have heart for the people. We demand that these boys should be released immediately without any delay as they have committed no crime except some of them have shown their dislike for the perpetual killing of their brothers and a few more are peacefully demanding to be given right to self determination which India has promised them. Hope the policy of perpetual punishment to the Kashmiri Nation is not continued.
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