Wednesday, August 4, 2010

In the headlines, only numbers change :(

Headline on July 31 - 3 killed in Kashmir Violence
Headline on August 1 - 2 die in police firing as protesters defy curfew
Headline on August 2 - Eight killed as violence escalates in Kashmir Valley
Headline on August 3 - Thousands defy curfew; 7 more civilians killed
Headline on August 4 - 5 more die as violence continues in Kashmir
Headline on August 5 - Another youth dies in police firing in Kashmir
Headline on August 6 - Another civilian dies in firing

Headline on August 14 - 4 die in police firing
Headline on August 15 - 2 killed in CRPF firing

Headline on August 21 - 2 more die in policing in Kashmir

Headline on August 26 - Boy injured in Srinagar clashes dies

Headline on Sept.6 - 3 killed as police open fire on mob in Kashmir
Headline on Sept. 14 - Fifteen killed in Kashmir violence
Headline on Sept.16 - Three killed as violence spreads to Sopore

And this cycle of violence didn't start on July 30th. For two weeks in the first half of July too, this was happening and even the army had to be called in. Later, the curfew was lifted, only to be bought back now. Actually this violence didn't begin in July too. Right from 2008, stone pelters have been at this. Like this report in hindu says: "While stone pelting has become a routine feature of street protests in Srinagar since the summer of 2008, it had revived with particular intensity after April, when three youths were alleged to have been killed in a fake encounter in Machhil. " The same report also calls it "curious passivity in the responses of the Centre and the Omar Abdullah administration to the events as they have been building up these last two months"

And in case you are wondering what the government in Jammu and Kashmir, headed by the youth scion Omar Abdullah is doing - here is a jist. He has given an interview to NDTV on July 3 where he said that he "will do everything possible to ensure that things like this don't happen" and also said that he accepts this setback and will build this back. For this interview, NDTV anchors feted him for his "sincerity" in admitting for failure.

Later the Home Minister of India has said that the "situation in Kashmir is grave". Later that day, J&K CM meets the Prime Minister and Home Minister, requests for additional forces which the centre has agreed to, and then says that the need for Kashmir is a "political package". No one has any clue what he meant by that!

TV media has further made our understanding of the whole subject more confusing. They are bringing in all kinds of people on TV (those justifying the violence, then those talking about dialogue, some talking about freedom) and in my opinion doing a disservice by confusing the people.

The cycle of violence has not ended, and all we hear is rhetoric from the Chief Minister of the state. And we are yet to hear anything at all from the Prime Minister!

PS: The blog(first written on August 4th) will be updating all headlines in the coming days too.

1 comments:

Thyagarajan said...

The problems of the governments both at the centre and in the state is that they are allowing themselves to be guided by public opinion and sentiments, at this critical juncture. The media NDTV et all are revelling in this situation where they bring a lot of (so called) Human rights activists, who are uttering a lot of gibberish. And the worst culprit is Farooq Abdullah. In theinterest of thius nation, some one had better ask him to Shaddup.

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