Valley revolted against killings, criminal act seen as act against Kashmir and Kashmiris

By Bharat Dogra

On April 22 there was a most horrible attack on entirely innocent tourists from various parts of India in Kashmir in which 26 persons were killed. Pakistan’s instigation of this is widely believed, on the basis of the past record as well as recent indications.

While this attack has been widely condemned not just in India but in various parts of the world, two kinds of responses can be distinguished—good as well as bad, encouraging as well as discouraging. Coming to the good part first, some determined tourists have stated that we are not going away in a hurry and those who want to use terror to create a gulf between us and the people of Kashmir will not succeed.

At the same time, at a very wide level, the Kashmiri people have held meetings to express their grief and condolence and also to condemn those who have used indiscriminate violence and cruelty in the name of religion and Kashmir to kill innocent persons.

Haseeb A. Drabu, former finance minister of Jammu and Kashmir, has captured the feelings of the Kashmiri people in the following words (see The Tribune dated April 26, article titled ‘As the Valley unites, the nation must listen), “It has been very encouraging to see that not just politicians, business associations, professional bodies but also apolitical motely groups of men and women come onto the streets to sympathize with the victims and stand firmly against the crime committed against humanity. Indeed it has been seen as a criminal act against Kashmir and Kashmiris…The entire Valley has revolted against the killings and how. Right across the Valley, from Kulgam to Kupwara, and from Shopian to Sopore, people have been unequivocal in their condemnation of the killings of the 26 tourists…The solidarity with the people in the country has been exceptional.”

At the same time, several people in various parts of the country have been expressing their appreciation of such a response in Kashmir.

Now let us come to the bad or unfortunate part of the response. Some people due to their pre-existing narrow and prejudiced views have started criticizing the Muslim community in general for this, despite the fact that members and leaders of this community have come forward in many parts of the country to strongly condemn this and other such attacks, now and in the past. In some places Kashmiri students have been harassed after this attack.

The Times of India reported on 26 April that in a village of Rohtak district (Haryana) some influential villagers reportedly issued a diktat ordering Muslim residents to leave. Whenever any such incident comes to their notice, local authorities must be under instructions to intervene quickly and decisively to stop such victimization and harassment of innocent persons.

It is also important to ensure that even as political and other leaders re-emphasize their determination to deal very firmly with terrorism, something that is really needed to protect innocent people from such attacks, whatever they say, plan and do should be within the framework of what would be also accepted at world level to be within a broad framework of peace and inter-faith harmony.

By acting in such a responsible way, India would further strengthen its international position and would be able to better consolidate a harmony-based integration of Kashmir with the rest of the country within a wider framework of peace, inter-faith harmony, justice and democracy.

Towards this end, whatever the well-justified demands of the people and political leaders of Kashmir are pending, and which are in harmony with this framework of peace and justice based better and deeper integration with the entire country, should be accepted as early as possible. This will further strengthen a common strong response of the people and government against terrorism instigated by Pakistan.

In the article quoted above, Haseeb Drabu has made another significant observation, “The spontaneous response of the people and the efforts of the local political class (in Kashmir) represent the green shoots of a people’s movement for peace…The public expression of rejection of violence this time around is being done in the belief that it is blatantly violating the values and norms, indeed the value system of Kashmiris.

If persisted with and nurtured carefully, it will, over time, build a network of social connectedness between the civil society institutions, transcending the boundaries of the Valley.” At the same time, this article cautions that “the harassment of Kashmiris, especially the younger generation--the students— in many states will nip the emerging people’s peace initiative even before it gains any traction. This cannot be the way forward for anyone.”

---

The writer is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include Protecting Earth for Children, Planet in Peril, A Day in 2071, and Man over Machine-A Path to Peace

Comments

Plastic burning in homes threatens food, water and air across Global South: Study

By Jag Jivan In a groundbreaking study spanning 26 countries across the Global South , researchers have uncovered the widespread and concerning practice of households burning plastic waste as a fuel for cooking, heating, and other domestic needs. The research, published in Nature Communications , reveals that this hazardous method of managing both waste and energy poverty is driven by systemic failures in municipal services and the unaffordability of clean alternatives, posing severe risks to human health and the environment.

Economic superpower’s social failure? Inequality, malnutrition and crisis of India's democracy

By Vikas Meshram India may be celebrated as one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, but a closer look at who benefits from that growth tells a starkly different story. The recently released World Inequality Report 2026 lays bare a country sharply divided by wealth, privilege and power. According to the report, nearly 65 percent of India’s total wealth is owned by the richest 10 percent of its population, while the bottom half of the country controls barely 6.4 percent. The top one percent—around 14 million people—holds more than 40 percent, the highest concentration since 1961. Meanwhile, the female labour force participation rate is a dismal 15.7 percent.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

From colonial mercantilism to Hindutva: New book on the making of power in Gujarat

By Rajiv Shah Professor Ghanshyam Shah ’s latest book, “ Caste-Class Hegemony and State Power: A Study of Gujarat Politics ”, published by Routledge , is penned by one of Gujarat ’s most respected chroniclers, drawing on decades of fieldwork in the state. It seeks to dissect how caste and class factors overlap to perpetuate the hegemony of upper strata in an ostensibly democratic polity. The book probes the dominance of two main political parties in Gujarat—the Indian National Congress and the BJP—arguing that both have sustained capitalist growth while reinforcing Brahmanic hierarchies.

The greatest threat to our food system: The aggressive push for GM crops

By Bharat Dogra Thanks to the courageous resistance of several leading scientists who continue to speak the truth despite increasing pressures from the powerful GM crop and GM food lobby , the many-sided and in some contexts irreversible environmental and health impacts of GM foods and crops, as well as the highly disruptive effects of this technology on farmers, are widely known today.

History, culture and literature of Fatehpur, UP, from where Maulana Hasrat Mohani hailed

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Maulana Hasrat Mohani was a member of the Constituent Assembly and an extremely important leader of our freedom movement. Born in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh, Hasrat Mohani's relationship with nearby district of Fatehpur is interesting and not explored much by biographers and historians. Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri has written a book on Maulana Hasrat Mohani and Fatehpur. The book is in Urdu. He has just come out with another important book, 'Hindi kee Pratham Rachna: Chandayan' authored by Mulla Daud Dalmai.' During my recent visit to Fatehpur town, I had an opportunity to meet Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri and recorded a conversation with him on issues of history, culture and literature of Fatehpur. Sharing this conversation here with you. Kindly click this link. --- *Human rights defender. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/vbrawat , X @freetohumanity, Skype @vbrawat

UP tribal woman human rights defender Sokalo released on bail

By A Representative After almost five months in jail, Adivasi human rights defender and forest worker Sokalo Gond has been finally released on bail.Despite being granted bail on October 4, technical and procedural issues kept Sokalo behind bars until November 1. The Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) and the All India Union of Forest Working People (AIUFWP), which are backing Sokalo, called it a "major victory." Sokalo's release follows the earlier releases of Kismatiya and Sukhdev Gond in September. "All three forest workers and human rights defenders were illegally incarcerated under false charges, in what is the State's way of punishing those who are active in their fight for the proper implementation of the Forest Rights Act (2006)", said a CJP statement.

Would breaking idols, burning books annihilate caste? Recalling a 1972 Dalit protest

By Rajiv Shah A few days ago, I received an email alert from a veteran human rights leader who has fought many battles in Gujarat for the Dalit cause — both through ground-level campaigns and courtroom struggles. The alert, sent in Gujarati by Valjibhai Patel, who heads the Council for Social Justice, stated: “In 1935, Babasaheb Ambedkar burnt the Manusmriti . In 1972, we broke the idol of Krishna , whom we regarded as the creator of the varna (caste) system.”

May the Earth Be Auspicious: Vedic ecology and contemporary crisis in Ashok Vajpeyi’s poetry

By Ravi Ranjan* Ashok Vajpeyi, born in 1941, occupies a singular position in contemporary Hindi poetry as a poet whose work quietly but decisively reorients modern literary consciousness toward ethical, ecological, and civilizational questions. Across more than six decades of writing, Vajpeyi has forged a poetic idiom marked by restraint, philosophical attentiveness, and moral seriousness, resisting both rhetorical excess and ideological simplification.

Search This Blog