After we were chased back by the crowds at Kathua, we speed back to Madhopur, a dusty, dirty, muddy water pool area which is the last Punjab outpost. We park along with the lines of trucks on the roadside. After transmitting video footage of the Kathua tension to Noida we go to the Coral River Resort to have a bite and decide what to do next. The resort is a welcome contrast to Madhopur's dullness with open dining next to a winding green canal.
We decide we will try and enter Jammu when night falls and people are off the streets. We have heard that the Army has been deployed on the Kathua-Jammu highway and it will be safe to travel. Dusk comes and night falls. We gear up once again. I pick up a walkie talkie from our OB van so we can at least communicate if there is no cell signal, but the walkie talkies are more like toys and the batteries go dead after a few minutes. We decide on a pattern. The Innova will travel ahead and check the road, the OB will follow a short distance behind with headlights on high beam so the OB silhouette is not seen. We will try and travel at a minimum speed of 80 kmph. The Innova can go much faster, but the OB cant. If we switch on our blinkers, it means trouble and the OB should immediately stop soon as it sees the blinking lights and should start reversing and turning back until we give it an all clear. And if they are in trouble they will dip heir headlights up and down.
Off we go. Peering ahead along the headlight cutting into the darkness. We see ominous looking military trucks with red flags parked in the shadows and gun toting soldiers standing around. Soon we are again at Kathua and pray that none of the afternoon crowd is there, for they are sure to get furious on seeing us again and after what happened, they would think we cheated them. Kathua pases by safely. We are speeding on. Suddenly short of Samba we come to a road that looks sinister. There are hundreds of round stones on the road and up ahead we see people with sticks. Ok, so the stones are to slow us down so we can't speed by. This is dangerous. Do we go ahead or do we turn back? Going ahead would get our OB to Jammu if these guys let us pass. But if they don't, we had it. And no soldiers in sight. The risk is too much. We switch on the blinkers and we see the OB suddenly slowing down and falling behind. We also stop and turn around and speed back even as we see commotion up ahead as the mob senses that here are two vehicles that have something to fear. The OB also turns and now it is leading the way back and we are following. I call up office and tell them, it is too dangerous to get the OB to Jammu, but that I can carry on without it. They say, `fine'. We escort the OB back to slightly ahead of Kathua, and tell them to go back to base at Chandigarh. They speed off and we turn back once again to Jammu.
It is almost 10.30 pm. The roads are emptier now. We are now driving at 120 kmph through the night. We see an army convoy up ahead and for a few minutes pull into its middle and feel safe. But it is on patrol and is moving too slow for our comfort. We pull out and again speed up. And then after passing through the rock strewn road we find that the mob there has dissipated and we move on.
Suddenly, I see a few young men on the road with handkerchiefs across their faces and sticks in hand. One of then swings his hand back and I know he is going to throw a stone. There is nothing we can do and as the Innova whizzes past, the stone comes hurtling at the car and hits the rear window just where I am sitting with a big thud. And then a man comes rushing at us with a long stick, I tell the driver to swerve and speed up, but the guy is relentless and just as we scoot past, he hits the car hard on the side putting a dent on it. The thick tempered glass saves me, but a few kilometers on, it shatters. And now the noise of the wind is like a jet revving to take off. I wonder why those men wanted to hurt us. They did not know I was from the media. It was dark. Why were they so senseless and so furious? They could have killed us. No one would have ever been booked. It was a mob.
It was then that I felt I could understand why soldiers and officers sometimes open fire at mobs. They are blamed for it afterwards. But I feel it requires superhuman control to resist the urge to squeeze the trigger of a machine gun when you have crowds pelting you with boulders and intent on hurting and killing you even when you have nothing to do with the problem.
We move on silently. I tell the driver to speed up as much as he can. We cross Samba, where riots had broken out just a day before and then on to Jammu. The roads are now empty save for occasional army trucks. Soon we are in Jammu, a crowded city that is desolate tonight. There are hundreds of soldiers and army trucks at roundabouts, roadsides, and driving slowly. We are stopped and checked. Finally we reach Hotel Asia in Jammu and see its gates closed with a big board saying `closed'. But it is open and we are ushered in. As I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, I think of the mobs, of the fury over a patch of land and over the intractability of the problem. I again wonder, how will this ever be solved? Any solutions?
URBANEYE
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Dear Sanjay
The real issue here is identity. Jammu people feel they have no identity as they have no say in the matters of the state and that their kashmiri counterparts overshadowm them. They have grievaces regarding lesser seats in legislative assembly & parliament, lesser govt. jobs, ministerial berths etc. There must be facts behind public perception.
Similarly Kashmiris are scared of losing an identity. They feel the land transfer order was an attack on their identity. They say they have been welcoming the Yatris and doing every bit for their safe and successful yatra. Point there as well.
Vested interests lie on both sides who are trying to exploit this issue for gaining political mileage. Kashmiri pandits are a part and parcel of the Valley of Kashmir and I really find the valley a dull place without the diversity and intelligentia they provide. I firmly believe that a day is going to come soon when you people will be able to come to your homes with full dignity and honour, I am not sure if you people really want to come. Lets flourish together under the shadows of Chinars and Kashmiryat.
Looking forward to a secular comment full of Kashmiryat.
Cheers... ...Reply
Dear....
I can understand ur concerns regarding the share of Jammu region in power and politics of Jammu & Kashmir. I also appreciate ur realization of good and bad.
Regarding ur mentioning "butchering of thousands of Kashmiri Pandits" let me correct ur figures as your statement has the power to fuel the communal tension and hatred. As against the casualties of Kashmiri muslims in Kashmir during last 18 years is more than 90000, only less than 100 Kashmiri pandits have lost their lives. Let us not mislead the nation. Kashmiri pandits resident as well as migrant are in constant touch with their kashmiri muslim brethren. They share everything including grievances with each other. THey share their houses in each other's cities and even get jobs done for each other in the Govt offices of their cities.
Just a few days back a Kashmiri pandit family a boy from which is my friend came back from kashmir after spending one month's holidays with their kashmiri muslim neighbours.
Let us boost friendship and harmony between different communities. There is no alternative. Hope you understand and take my comment positively.
Cheers ...Reply
Reading the comments makes one realise how ignorant the people are about the root of this conflict. Indian leaders and media need to inform the indian citizens about the real status of Kashmir within India. Merely by inventing slogans like 'integral part' or 'shah rug' does not make kashmir a property of india or pakistan. kashmir has its own history, culture, language and identity. Telling the Indian public or for that matter Pakistani public that kashmir hama hai amounts to deception of one's own people. One wonders if so-called leaders (so-called leaders because the pathetic situation that India is mired in can hardly be a handi work of real leaders) particularly Indian leaders actually want good for india or is it just petty vote politics that they know how to lead in. For those who pretend sense of History and ask for scrapping Article 370, should go to the roots of the conflict and realize that the promise the first Prime Minister of India J.L Nehru made publically to the Kashmiri nation (video available on Google) whereby the future of Kashmir was to be determined in accordance with the wishes and aspirations of the Kashmiri people, has never been fulfilled by the Indian state. Would the sane Indians, known to keep their promises no matter what, break the tradition in the case of Kashmir? Or has the Indian nation assigned the slogan "jaan jaye par wachan na jaye" to trash bin? muzi m MUK ...Reply
Few days back I heard some ministers from valley saying that there was no problem in earlier order of Land transfer but If I remember Omar Abdhulla was having some issues in claues 9 or somewhere in that order.
Solution to this problem would be to discuss the order once agian and if some false propoganda is spread among people that should be removed and it is the moral res[ponsibilty of these politicias. But instead of doing this, PDP is not ready to give answer why they joined Hurriyat when crises spread in Valley.
They are only taking about the economic blockadge. If such economic block is there, try to find out why such thing happened. Let's ask some questions to yourself.
Q. Why people in Kashmir are protesting?
A. They suffer economic blockadge. No supplies from jammu.
Q. Why supplies are not coming from Jammu?
A. They are agitating against revoking of land transfer order.
Q. Why land transfer order was revoked?
A. Because people in Kashmir were agitating and PDP also joined hands with Hurriyat.
Q. Who started agitation in Kashmir?
A. Kashmiri People
Q. Who called for agitation in Kashmir?
A. Hurriyat and PDP.
Q. Who is now crying for economic blockadge?
A. Hurriyat and PDP.
This is our ploitics.
First create problems and then let people burn on this problem.
I request is to all sections of people from jammu and kashmir, please don't burn paradise on earth. Let's join hands together.
Family of those who lost their lives in both regions are only suffering rest all others are taking processions for no reason.
A true Kashmiri,
Sanjay Raina
...Reply
hello,
for the past two weeks,tv channels are full of reports on jammu&kashmir problems.however to those of us watching this from another part of india,it can be clearly seen that the problem lies on intolerance and blind belief that their religion is the only one right.
clearly so long as the govt. is trying to bring sense to their thick skull using soft means and pandering to their outrageous demands,be it the hindu jammu or the muslim kashmir,no solution can be found.
therefore, the only way that this can be resolved is for the govt. to strongly enforce the law and shoot anyone trying to incite violence.
the looser here is clearly the congress party which is the only political party that talk sense.all others are hot headed.hence it's time to ram normalcy to these peaple in j&k.
dhme40 ...Reply
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