Kashmir violence took govt by surprise, says key BJP leader
‘UNEXPECTED’ Ram Madhav says Pak-backed forces, not Burhan Wani’s death, behind Valley unrest
NEW DELHI: The government was taken by surprise by the current phase of violence in Kashmir and there was initial confusion in the response, BJP general secretary and Delhi’s point man in the Valley, Ram Madhav, said on Monday. He, however, blamed Pakistan-backed forces and “agent provocateurs” for the unrest.
The admission by Madhav, who played a key role in sealing the BJP-PDP alliance government in the state, is the first by a senior member of the ruling party on the violence that has left 69 people dead in Kashmir since July.
In an exclusive interview to HT, Madhav said Kashmir could “ask for the Moon within the Indian Constitution” and reiterated the Centre’s willingness to “engage with all sections of the Valley’s society” to defuse the volatile situation.
“There was no such anticipation of any outburst of violence on the streets. In earlier phases, there was some reason – genuine or based on propaganda. This time, the BJP-PDP government had been careful to ensure there was no issue. So initially, there was some kind of confusion about how to tackle this situation,” he said.
He rejected the contention that the protests were sparked by the killing of Burhan Wani, a Hizbul Mujahidden commander shot dead by security forces on July 8. “Tackling militants has been a day-to-day affair for 20 years. Successive governments have done it. I do not buy this theory (of Wani’s killing sparking the protests).”
The protests have seen stonepelting mobs target security forces, resulting in retaliatory firing. Hundreds of people have also been left with eye injuries by pellets fired by security forces, fuelling anger among Kashmiris.
Madhav said the pellet gun was actually a substitute for regular bullets, and it saved lives, but even better, less-lethal ways had to be found for crowd control. To a question on whether the protests indicated political and psychological alienation, Madhav said the slogans of azadi (freedom) needed to be taken with a “pinch of salt”.
SRINAGAR: Confined to homes for over 50 days since curfew was clamped all over the Valley in the aftermath of militant Burhan Wani’s death, it hasn’t been easy for either children or parents.
The virtual detention at home meant the Doraemon cartoon series became a refuge for fouryear-old Hadi. His mother Uzra is concerned not only about an overdose of cartoon, but also his obsession with news which exposes him to words and images that are too fraught for him to understand.
Mohammad Hayat, a government servant and a resident of Srinagar’s Nawabazaar area, plays carom with his five-yearold daughter Fatima till the sound of gunfire is heard at a distance. “Want to go to school tomorrow?” he quickly asks to distract her. She looks back solemnly and says: “No. Tomorrow, too, is curfew.” Hayat then tells her the white lie parents in the Nawabazaar area used to tell their children in the ’80s. “It will soon be over.”
Eight-year-old Aidah, the daughter of Sameera, a teacher, wanted to know why they switched off lights for some weeks. “I said innocents have died. So we have to maintain Black Days,” adds Sameera.
Words like ‘blackout’ and ‘pellet guns’ have entered Aidah’s vocabulary through casual conversations. “She saw a dog passing with a spot in his eye. She was convinced he has been shot with a pellet gun,” says her mother.
General knowledge quizzes were also an option to pass time during the curfew, says Sameera. But sometimes the questions her daughter asks stump her.