Suppression has a unique characteristic, it does not ward- off danger of existent revolt completely rather it helps return the anxiety- aggression- state with more force. It is difficult to keep people down by unjust force and authority. Prolonged period of maltreatment cannot thwart chronic longing of people for long, you cannot kill a nation steadily and by inches, even if you do, history of oppression will remain. Instead of applying designed suppressible techniques, looking for permanent solutions is far better an option that leads to the overall dignity of nations. Amnesia and fuge reaction does not help in the long run, wandering away from reality, it suddenly ends up in an acute rundown, leaving authorities in a puzzle for the magnitude and intensity of an out of control situation. Unless, the new patterns for the gratification of basic motives are provided nothing will help Kashmir to become peaceful. Angry People would keep on looking for intense opportunities to give bent to their emotions resulting from political starvation.
The day ended with same prayer session followed by a sermon on how girls were different from boys, and how they cannot join the processions taking place around the college premises. Ms. Mehmooda Ahmad Ali Shah, the esteemed principal of the college was in a furious mood, like a wounded lioness she was roaring on telephone and asking the Police Chief to arrest the boys from two famous city colleges who were motivating girls to join them for a protest procession. The whole area was resonating with slogans for freedom and justice. Ms.Mehmooda, warning us in strong words, was perusing us not to pay attention to the volcanic political eruption that was trying to disturb her belief of being an Indian. While time has failed to reproduce a replica of her stature as a strong, fine and dedicated head of the prestigious city college, she was different and in contrast with the masses of her Muslim majority staff and students. She believed in the politics of power. Ms. Shah was an Indian at heart with a tremendous tact to suppress the burning desire of her students to be free to decide their future, word plebiscite was a taboo in our college premises. In a bid to be a complete loyalist, she wanted to capture every breath of ours that whispered the word; it was her profound desire to baptize us all, as Indian.
An ear to ear confidential mode followed and we decided to come out. I remember a huge group of girls, gate crashing and joining the long queues of boys on Moulana Azad Road. It was unusual experience for us all; a feeling of cohesion, to follow a cause, a rush of energy, an excessive flow of strength to shout slogans with force; the peculiar slogans of our era, all with a strong theme for freedom. The song, “Nider delair bachiyan Srinagar kibaitienmujahidounkibaitien”, played across the border had added fuel to an extremely explosive political situation and we, as the young girls from Srinagar had taken it as an accomplishment. Qanita Farah Alvi, a strong group leader was leading us to a destination right in the heart of Shar-e-Khas, ShariefaQurashi, with her tremendous rhetoric capability, had breathed in us a fire for freedom. Passing through roads, reaching the point of destination we had overcome the threat of authority.
Ultimately we were asked by student leaders to sit down because road was blocked with hurdles, fire brigades had blocked the road to proceed further. Sensing the situation, youth leaders asked us to sit down. We were supposed to listen to a lecture by Jammu and Kashmir Youth League President, Abdul Rashid Qabili but before we could do that, police force came into action and fire brigades, with force started throwing water on us. The mob did not care much and they started using teargas shells and firing in the air. Techniques to suppress had yet to become extremely lethal, motives of authority were not nakedly debious and selfish; pellet gun and gunshots were not used are a slightest provocation. Peaceful processions, lectures by leaders were not targeted, there was no ban on praying at masques and shrines, breathing space to give vent to political views was not strangled.
A few of us got injured; others could feel the gas in their eyes. The sound from cracking teargas shells and firing was scary and we all started running in a backward direction. A tumult of shouting and screaming followed, it brought an agitative trouble. The situation become tense and I started crying, did not know how to face my parents who would count even minutes for our late coming. Discipline was a liability in our home and I expected a severe punishment for the act of bunking college and joining a procession. Discipline was a liability at home. Those days, parents were vigilant enough to know about what their children were upto. My father already knew what I had been through; rest of the damage was done by my swollen eyes, wet clothes and torn out burqa, the two black pieces of shelter and disguise that had more Afghan influences than Arab connections.
In politics, there are number of good and bad motives that encourage students to get involved. There is larger concern related to the situation, whether students should be encouraged to drop the book and pick the stone, can teaching and politics coexist and how much breathing space and how much is too much for them? The very recently coincided events concerning student union politics at Delhi University and Jawahar Lal University reflects clearly the younger generation’s political language, motives and aspirations. But the question is whether the politics should be allowed to enter the schools, colleges and University campuses in a highly explosive political situation. Situation in Kashmir is completely different. Politics in Kashmir has already left educational institutions, had the students been given a space to voice their political opinions the story would have been different. Voices here are not heard but made silent by strangling. The stress out situation for the students has become so intolerable that a large segment does not care for life because death dances even the safest home surrounding..
The author is a retired professor of Psychology J&K Higher Education Department.