Hundred acres of land, two warring-identities and one inept establishment, these were the constituents of the so-called ‘land transfer row’ in Jammu and Kashmir. What followed the demonstrations was death and destruction. Death knocks without a prior intimation. Similarly, burning of effigies and problem of refugees in India have similar characteristics. They have a number of things in common. One of them is that they occur without news. The former is a result of protests and the later is a consequence of ethnic cleansing. During recent violence in Kashmir, India lost its most precious abstract object, secularism. Secularism can not be seen and touched. It is a far cry from rhetoric. It is not communicated from venom-spewing mouths but through one’s deeds. Slogan-shouting is an integral part of a protest. In Jammu & Kashmir during the land transfer row and the violence that ensued, slogans determined one’s level of secularism and sedition. The entire land-controversy was turned into a between ‘They’ and ‘Us’ squabble. It was propagated as a battle between the nationalists and the separatists.
So what triggered the controversy that pitted men, women and children against each other? People from different age group took to the street and shouted both anti-and-pro-India slogans. Already existing demographic division has crept further deep into peoples’ minds. It has divided the already polarized Hindus and Muslims in the state.
So where did the problems lie? Was it between separatists and the nationalists or between ‘They’ and ‘Us’ indeed? By all means it wasn’t. The question ‘why the controversy broke out in first place?’ needs to be answered.
The whole chronology into the episode says that the matter could have been prevented from turning into a full-fledged flare up with timely action which requires sagacity. It has seen marginalization on both sides.
On May 26 the Jammu and Kashmir government passed an order that allotted hundred acres of forest land to the Sri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB). SASB takes care of the two-month long yatra every year. This year the Yatra lasted between 18 June and 16 August. The transfer, which instilled a feeling of alienation among Muslims, drew fierce protests from the separatists groups and Muslim community.
One thing which must have been aired and printed widely was hushed up in the pandemonium.
The first protest did not come either from Muslims or from the Hindus . An uninterested entity raised many points against the land transfer, an NGO.
Reportedly some environmental groups had objected to the land transfer in the Baltal forest region. Instead of jumping the guns the government should have initiated a scientific study to dig the truth behind the objection. That could have protected the dispensation from humiliation and the people from agony.
All the hell broke loose when Jammu and Kashmir retracted its earlier order of transfer. This time Hindus felt insecure in their ‘own motherland’. And the rest is the history.
Continuous tri-partite parleys among Centre, Hindus and Muslims yielded no results. Sri Amarnath Sangharsh Samiti (SASS) adopted a tough stand and wanted hundred acres of land restored to SASB to construct makeshift amenities during Yatra. An eighteen-member all party committee under home minister Shiv Raj Patil was constituted that yielded no results.
The problem and its roots lie deep in the hearts of people. The tangible alienation on the part of Muslims and the feeling of being deprived of a ‘piece of land’ in their own motherland triggered the violence.
The extent of alienation can be judged by reaching to those who feel it.
Shakil Ahmad first protested in 1990 against Indian rule in Kashmir. At 35 he is a salaried worker who is back on the roads. Shakil was among many who believed that their land was being taken away from Kashmiris. He said to NDTV, “We are not against Yatra. We are heartily going to support them.” NDTV quoted him as saying, “They won’t allow this to happen even at the cost of their lives.”
{http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080054607 (June 26 2008)}
Hindus also feel some king of injustice meted out to them in their own motherland. The readers can see the degree of hatred by going through the following.
A blog on Kashmir says, "Secularism is a tool to wipe out Hindus from India." It continues to spew the venom by saying, "There is no word as 'secularism'. There is only one word 'nationalism'." These are the divisive forces that hamper the peace proceses. Such propagandist attitude can never generate results. To add to the woes, they add oil to the flame.
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