Shopian/Srinagar: Schools and colleges in Kashmir were opened on Monday, a week after they were shut to curb the student protests, in hope that normalcy would return. But soon, violence erupted at a school in Srinagar’s Lal Chowk, and spread across the Valley. The students hurled stones and attacked vehicles of police, who, in turn, used tear gas and water cannon.
Among the things that make the current spree of violence in the Valley incomprehensible, the most crucial is the role of student protesters, many of whom don't follow any political party.
Last week, over 80 students, including girls, were injured after a clash with police and security personnel at a degree college in Pulwama. Pellets guns were used extensively. The Valley soon echoed with the voices of thousands of students from more than 20 colleges and many schools in Srinagar, Pulwama, Shopian, Tral, Baramulla, Kulgam, Kangan, Sopore and other districts, who had taken to take to the streets to protest the use of violence against their peers.
News18 spoke to members of the group that exists in flesh and blood, but functions underground. “We are not allowed to assemble in Kashmir University. We are not allowed to write and speak. The university refuses to acknowledge our existence. We are officially unofficial,” said Misbah, a KUSU member.
By burying dissent, the organisation says, the university only pushed it to new heights. “We felt choked. The university denied us space, did not allow us to assemble. They told us not to take to violent means, but when we took to writing, they arrested us for sedition and tortured us. We can’t write, we can’t share Facebook posts, we can’t speak openly. We can’t even be seen together. But this has only strengthened our resolve,” said Saqlain, another member.
Was academics a reason for the university to put a curb on their freedom of speech? “Absolutely not”, said the group in a monotone.
“All members of KUSU have done well academically. Some of us have presented papers at prestigious seminars, have edited international journals and have topped our courses. Let there be no doubt. This is not a group of academic rejects,” retorted Misbah.
Not just at the hands of the institution, KUSU members say they have had to face persecution at the hands of the police also. “Around 40 KUSU members have at least two cases slapped against them. The police don’t register cases in the universities, but at the home towns of the students. They have registered cases under attempt to murder and for allegedly waging a war against the state. Our parents are not spared too,” adds another member.
The mention of students at Jawaharlal Nehru University brings a smile to their faces. “When we heard of what happened in Delhi, there were no tears. This is what happens to us on a daily basis. Imagine our plight,” says Saqlain.
The group, however, is quick to add that the 2016 agitation, after Hizbul Mujahideen’s commander Burhan Wani was killed, was what turned things around for the youth in the Valley. “Before that, students would not step out openly. After Wani was killed, you could see young boys running to the encounter sites, instead of running away from them,” says Saqlain. The students started to tighten their own network across the Valley. KUSU started to communicate with other students and increased their scope of action.
“Our anger was only building up, and there was no backing down. Security forces shot with an intent to kill. They ended up blinding people with pellets. The state has only been tightening screws, and the anger amongst us only grew,” says Saqlain.
Has the protest over Pulwama given the group a certain agenda? “We will take things as they come. What happened in Pulwama was barbaric, to say the least. We didn’t expect the response that we got for the protest, but it did showcase a new wave of agitation,” says Misbah.
The circle of conflict and struggle seems to have no end in the Valley, and Misbah says the circle will only expand. “Violence begets violence and no side looks like it’s going to relent.”
— Names of all senior KUSU members have been changed
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