Kashmiris at the receiving end
By : Md Mudassir Alam
AS PART OF my daily routine, this past week I had my dinner, walked on the terrace for few minutes and eventually entered my bedroom to explore the world on television. After switching on the TV, I settled down to watch news on my favourite NDTV India channel. It was 11 and NDTV anchor Naghma was talking to someone in her live show. I fixed the channel and slipped under the blanket to beat the cold. The ongoing discussion made me sad, and even uncomfortable. The man on the show was a Kashmiri boy Shafqat Maqbool, who had been badly tortured by Army officials.
According to Shafqat, he boarded the Army coach of in a train by mistake, between Gwalior and Jhansi. But what happened next to him is horrible. The Army officials, travelling in that boggy, asked Shafqat if he was an Armyman. Shafqat replied no! When angry armymen asked him to detrain, Shafqat said, “Sir, by mistake I am here. I will get down at the next station.” During the course of argument, Shafqat introduced himself as a wildlife research student hailing from Baramullah in Kashmir.
Being a Kashmiri and a Muslim were reasons enough to bring Shafqat under suspicion of being a “terrorist”. His efforts to convince the Armymen made no difference. He even told them that his bag is in the next boggy in which he has his identity proof and degrees he has taken from Agra University and Bundelkhand University. But they refused to listen to him.
Shafqat was beaten badly all through the route. No one was there to help him or listen to his pleas. When his station came, he told the officials: “I will complain about your behaviour to J&K Chief Minister, President and the Railway Minister.” But there was no any sign of fear on the face of the Army officials and with a big laugh they said, “Aaj to mazaa aa gaya, safar acche se kat gayi, tujhe jo karna hai kar le, hamara koi kuch nahi bigaad sakta.”
Shafqat, being an educated person, raked up the issue in the media. During the show Shafqat said he loves to accept challenges and during his childhood days had dreamt of becoming an Armyman. But now with his bad experience he is happy that he has not chosen that career.
Shafqat’s story is not a surprising one, because Army officials frequently harass common people across the country, especially in BIMARU (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh) states as well as Haryana and Punjab. All over India, Kashmiris are seen with suspicion.
Shafqat’s story is a matter of great concern for our country. As the central and state governments are trying hard to bring Kashmir into the national mainstream and are offering various facilities, some Army officials are undoing these efforts.
View the complete post by clicking this URL :
http://merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=124085
By : Md Mudassir Alam
AS PART OF my daily routine, this past week I had my dinner, walked on the terrace for few minutes and eventually entered my bedroom to explore the world on television. After switching on the TV, I settled down to watch news on my favourite NDTV India channel. It was 11 and NDTV anchor Naghma was talking to someone in her live show. I fixed the channel and slipped under the blanket to beat the cold. The ongoing discussion made me sad, and even uncomfortable. The man on the show was a Kashmiri boy Shafqat Maqbool, who had been badly tortured by Army officials.
According to Shafqat, he boarded the Army coach of in a train by mistake, between Gwalior and Jhansi. But what happened next to him is horrible. The Army officials, travelling in that boggy, asked Shafqat if he was an Armyman. Shafqat replied no! When angry armymen asked him to detrain, Shafqat said, “Sir, by mistake I am here. I will get down at the next station.” During the course of argument, Shafqat introduced himself as a wildlife research student hailing from Baramullah in Kashmir.
Being a Kashmiri and a Muslim were reasons enough to bring Shafqat under suspicion of being a “terrorist”. His efforts to convince the Armymen made no difference. He even told them that his bag is in the next boggy in which he has his identity proof and degrees he has taken from Agra University and Bundelkhand University. But they refused to listen to him.
Shafqat was beaten badly all through the route. No one was there to help him or listen to his pleas. When his station came, he told the officials: “I will complain about your behaviour to J&K Chief Minister, President and the Railway Minister.” But there was no any sign of fear on the face of the Army officials and with a big laugh they said, “Aaj to mazaa aa gaya, safar acche se kat gayi, tujhe jo karna hai kar le, hamara koi kuch nahi bigaad sakta.”
Shafqat, being an educated person, raked up the issue in the media. During the show Shafqat said he loves to accept challenges and during his childhood days had dreamt of becoming an Armyman. But now with his bad experience he is happy that he has not chosen that career.
Shafqat’s story is not a surprising one, because Army officials frequently harass common people across the country, especially in BIMARU (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh) states as well as Haryana and Punjab. All over India, Kashmiris are seen with suspicion.
Shafqat’s story is a matter of great concern for our country. As the central and state governments are trying hard to bring Kashmir into the national mainstream and are offering various facilities, some Army officials are undoing these efforts.
View the complete post by clicking this URL :
http://merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=124085
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