#Kashmiri Pandit employees protest

[thedailyexcelsior]

PM Package KP Employees Demanding Relocation Suspend Protest

Kashmiri Pandit Employees protesting for last more than 300 days for relocation to Jammu today suspended their protest. However, they said they will decide later on rejoining duties in the valley.

[gadgetsforusesblog]

Click to read # J&K: Kashmiri Pandit employees end their 310-day protest. Kashmiri pandit employees and reserved employees end their strike demand

Kashmiri Pandits said while ending the protest that we surrender to the government. We apologize to our friends that we could not succeed in our attempt. The performance of Kashmiri Pandit employees and reserved category employees in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir is over. These people have been protesting for the past 310 days. The 310-day protest in Jammu by the Kashmiri Pandit…

[kimskashmir]

Protest in Jammu for relocation of Kashmiri Pandit employees from valley

JAMMU — An organisation here on Saturday held protest for relocation of displaced Kashmiri Pandit employees from valley in wake of “selective killings.” The protestors also demanded constitution of an apex committee headed by union home minister to formulate and implement the rehabilitation of KPs in the valley with “security, honour and dignity.” Youth All India Kashmiri Samaj (YAIKS) said it is…

[rudrjobdesk]

कश्मीरी पंडितों ने फिर शुरू किया प्रदर्शन, कहा- हमारी जिंदगी दांव पर है

कश्मीरी पंडितों ने फिर शुरू किया प्रदर्शन, कहा- हमारी जिंदगी दांव पर है

Image Source : PTI Kashmiri Pandits Protest Highlights कश्मीरी पंडित कर्मचारियों का प्रदर्शन अवसादग्रस्त महसूस कर रहे: प्रदर्शनकारी ‘कर्मचारी सरकारी लॉलीपॉप में नहीं फंसेंगे’ Jammu Kashmir News: कश्मीरी पंडित कर्मचारियों ने जम्मू में आज सोमवार को फिर प्रदर्शन किया और शांति बहाल होने तक घाटी से बाहर स्थानांतरित किए जाने की मांग दोहराई। ऑल माइग्रेंट एम्प्लॉई एसोसिएशन कश्मीर के बैनर तले सैकड़ों…

[apveng]

My Failed Attempt at Activism

I am not an activist and have never done a march for anything in my life. However, the steady stream of disheartening and troubling news that I received about Kashmir made me think that I need to at least stand up for the people who are being oppressed by the Indian state.

But, before I go on, let me tell you something about Kashmir.

        ________________________________________________                

Stage: As you may know, on 5th August 2019, Indian government, by the Hindu Nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) removed the semi-autonomous status of the contested state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and reduced it to one of two Union Territories; to be directly administered by the Indian Union (that is the government at the centre--federal level).

J&K is a majority Muslim state and at the time of Indian independence had agreed to join the Indian Union only on the condition that it’d be a semi-autonomous state with only foreign affairs, defense and communications managed by India. 

Accordingly: 

The Constitution of India or any federal laws applicable to India will not be applicable to J&K unless they were approved by J&K legislative assembly.

A non-resident cannot own property there thus preventing an attempt at demographic change by non-Kashmiris.

Another condition was that India would hold a plebiscite there so that the residents can vote on whether they want to join India or not. That plebiscite never happened.

Despite this, the government at the centre had been trying to dilute the semi-autonomous status and since the late 1980s and 90′s there has been a steady armed insurgency (intifada and more) against Indian state in Kashmir. This has led to atrocities against Kashmiri Pandits (Hindus, who are a minority in Kashmir), which lead to their exodus from the valley in 1989-91. 

And, after that came a retaliation by the Indian armed forces that led to many Kashmiri men going missing in the 1990′s.  

Lately, an increasing amount of Kashmiri youth have taken to stone pelting at the forces, and even a terrorist attack that killed 40 of Indian armed forces (CRPF) in February.

International observers, Kashmiris and UN Human Rights Council has maintained that army has been violating human rights in Kashmir through torture, threats of rape, and violence.  Mostly, non-biased news reports support this fact.

Following the abrogration of the article 370, the Kashmir Valley, a majority of whose people is against the action, has been under continuous lockdown with there being no internet, telephone or mobile service and limited amount of mobility. In periods when some of the curbs were lifted, people still refused to come out to protest the action.

Since August 2019 (and before as well), army and police has been raiding people’s homes, detaining boys as young as 12 year olds, and beating up and torturing citizens. There has also -been rape threats against the women.

For more: https://apnews.com/52b06a124a5a4469984793d3c208733d

         ________________________________________________                

Back to me: The trigger for my attempt was an article by Indian Journalist Rana Ayyub on Washington Post.

I spent the first night after reading it wondering if there is a protest for Kashmiris in my city (or outside Kashmir anywhere) that I could show up for. However, I had not heard of one. There may be one by the way, but there have been no news reports of it.

The second night, I decided that I should at least show that I stand with Kashmiris. I cannot organise a protest because I am an introvert and people organising is not my skill. And, it won’t happen overnight. I have no contacts and the number of twitter followers I have is a joke. But, I can hang a few placards outside my home so that the passersby can see it and question their stance.

The first thought that ran through my mind after deciding this was whether an FIR will be registered against me and if I would go to jail for it. 

It would seem like a silly fear, really. Why would the Indian state be concerned about a total non-entity protesting, that too just outside their own home?

On the other hand, this is the country where people get arrested for whatsapp forwards and tweets. Who knew what might happen?

And, of course the majority of people in my colony were BJP supporters, what would they do about it?

Even if I am not jailed immediately, registering an FIR would mean that I may not be able to go for a long-planned trip outside the country.

Ugh! So many worries, and I haven’t even started by nano-level of activism yet.

Well, despite the worries and concerns, today, I went out and printed a few statements and got them laminated:

1.

I stand with Kashmiris (I thought it was important to draw a distinction between the land and the people; Indian government seems to be after the land. I stand with the people).

It is not democracy to abrogate Kashmiris’ right to self-determination.

2. 

You cannot win hearts by oppression. (You really cannot; not in the long term).

You don’t oppress your people. You stand by them. PS: All humanity is your people.

3.

 You cannot use a stick to liberate.

Reactionary Forces co-opt progressive values to justify aggression and oppression. Think of colonialism.

(The official line on Kashmir has been that this would bring LGBT rights, lower caste rights and women’s rights to the valley along with economic development. This is from the administration that abstains from a UN resolution ending discrimination against LGBT UN employees; the administration that allows Lower Caste to be ill treated everywhere else provided they are not in Muslim majority Kashmir; and from the party whose MPs promised during election to bring women to men if they just ask for it, whose MPs have been accused of sexual harassment and who supported people accused of raping and killing a child. The admin didn’t contest SC’s striking down of gay sex criminalisation last year and they use that to show themselves as progressive.) 

4. 

Detention and jails, beating and curfews do not make you safe.

It only increases the number of people who hate you and want to hurt you.

5.

 Use Kindness and non-violence, debate and activism for change.

Pretty reasonable, no? Nothing that induces violence in my opinion. Or any seditious content.

My parents refused to allow me to hang it outside our home in plain view of the residents and passersby.

Oh, I didn’t mention did I? Due to many reasons, one of the main ones being that I work in the same city as my parents’ place of stay, I live with my parents. I have been reconsidering that choice, and now, have incentive to move out.

My father wanted to know if I wanted to ruin life in the colony for them? If I wanted to make life difficult for my parents?

And my mother told me that, I quote: What if you are jailed? You are a nobody. Nobody will come in support of you. Your entire life will be ruined. This is a matter of politics and you don’t know anything about politics. People like Sashi Tharoor (Indian opposition MP), can write books, and he may be safe. These days, not even politicians are safe. If you do this, not even close friends will stand by you or help you.

Great to know they don’t even trust our family and friends, many of whom are Modi supporters, to support me in case of such an event. Just to be clear, neither do I (well, most of them anyways).

Again father: Do you know if someone clicks a picture, shares, and then police registers an FIR against you, we can’t even travel next week. Have you thought of that? (I had).

Both: It would have been okay to endure personal harm and injury if it was of some benefit. But, you will achieve nothing by this. Kashmiris wouldn’t even know about it. What effect will this have? Nothing.

Don’t be so emotional and jump to actions that are useless and harmful.

Do something less political; like donations to poor people and orphans (I do that).

Me: If everyone thought like that, we would never have been a free country and there would never have been change.

Them: You are emotional and know nothing! (I am Jon Snow.)

Anyways, I decided that I cannot make life difficult for my parents and stress them out while staying in their home. So, any activism I do will have to wait until I get a house of my own once I am back from my trip.

Failure and retreat.

Thus!

So, that is who I am. A person at 38 years, and a failure at activism. :(

But, I am also the person who came out to my mother, cousins and friends, in 2013 when India recriminalised homosexuality.  (Yeah, that is a thing we did. We went back on progress. Similar to the Bolsheviks after the 1917 revolution except, well, that was more out of confusion; or how Great Britain allowed gay folks to remain in prison post WWII. At least, we are among great company.)

I am not going to stand by when my land and my planet is ruined. I will find a way to fight.

       ________________________________________________          

What is interesting is how much fear there is in the country. Reporters who report stuff against the administration have been prosecuted for disturbing peace. Ditto for activists who report against the state narrative. And of course, there is the matter of tweets and whatsapp humour being treated as sedition.

An attempt to discuss Kashmir in University was not allowed at University of Hyderabad.

This should not be considered normal. And if it is, this state of affairs need to be resisted.

        ________________________________________________                

A little bit of personal history

Isn’t it interesting though how my parents’ middle class values work? Standing up for one’s principles against the majority’s ignorance and indifference is not just a recipe for disaster but also useless and the actions of an overly emotional individual.

And, this has been a trend, you see.

When I was not yet 21, my mother campaigned for months until I gave in to an arranged marriage.

I had done so at the time with grave misgivings. And then, after our engagement, I had wanted to call the marriage off and my parents had asked: why didn’t you say this before? (I had, but they were convinced I was just inexperienced; and I thought may be I am. What did I know? PS: Definitely not that I was gay. Or, ace.)

It took only a few months after marriage for me to realise that I’d never be happy in it. And then, of course there were campaigns not just by my parents, but my entire extended cast of relatives who regularly called me up to say how I am ruining my life by divorcing my then husband (I had the notoriety of being the first divorcee in the family). And from his side, how I am a horrible selfish person for hurting him. 

Ugh! But, there were no threats of jail or a whole colony rising up against me, so I stood by my stance and got divorced. (I had to sent a suicide note for my parents and close relatives to decide okay, they are going to stand with me. They were pretty cool after that though.)

In 2013, when I came out, my mother wanted to know why I bothered telling her and by the way, did I know that no other girl is going to feel like me?

Recently, again, I had to campaign for months to get my parents from no to yes on resigning my job and getting a Masters in Canada. Because it would ruin my life. And, this time, they probably gave in because my position was non-negotiable.

When that didn’t pan out because Ca apparently was convinced I won’t return to India (and for some other mysterious reasons they haven’t made clear to me), I decided to take a leave of absence from my organisation to find out what to do with my life. And that too they protested because they thought I was headed for economic ruin.

So, if I ever expected my parents to support me at the first take, I should have given up on that by now. They have hardly ever done that.

In their defense, they have always come around; may be in weeks, at times in months, and others in years, if not to my point of view then to support my right to my point of view and appropriate actions.

I am hoping for that in this case.

You might wonder why that matters to me. Well, they are my parents and I love them. And on the whole, they are pretty decent people. So, it matters.

Anyways, I know that activism at any age doesn’t happen in one full swoop. It happens step by step. And, it needs resources and networks, and you have to build and work towards it.

It doesn’t happen in a vacuum.

And, not everyone contributes in the same way.

Here is hoping that I’d find my way.

       ________________________________________________                

What could you do about this if you so chose:

Whichever country (but India) you are in, send a note about Kashmir to your representative, MP etc. If there is international pressure, it’d help. Right now, there has been nothing but support for India from every quarter: Trump and Johnson, Middle East (UAE even gave Modi a medal). Bernie Sanders spoke against Indian action in Kashmir. And Rep Pramila Jayapal wrote to Secretary of State demanding action. Jeremy Corbyn spoke in support for Kashmir. But, nothing concrete from these countries.

Pakistan is the only country speaking against Indian action in Kashmir but Pakistan unfortunately has no clout or credibility with the big leagues these days.

If in India, vote BJP out please. But, also let your reps know that they need to support Kashmiris. Support Independent journalism like Caravan; because Press Freedom is in pretty bad shape in India.

Hopefully the next POTUS will do something about it. (While also steering your country right and helping the world right along; without starting any wars, please.)

If you know any Indian origin folks, talk to them about Kashmir and ask them if beating up of 12 year olds and rape threats against women are what they want their country of origin (or ancestry) to be known by. Or, detention of non-Hindu Bengalis in Assam (and possibly rest of India as well). Sam Manekshaw (of India) during Bangladesh war of independence and Wellington during Napoleonic wars managed to keep their men from raping (A People’s History of Britain, Rebecca Fraser). It is possible.

Why does that matter? Because a lot of support for BJP, both in political lobbying efforts as well as in terms of donations, come from the Indian diaspora. If this support can be weakened, even if slowly, that would weaken BJP.

Yeah: I am doing activism by the mode I know. Writing.

[nasiknews]

KP Employees Up The Ante For Relocation from Kashmir Valley

KP Employees Up The Ante For Relocation from Kashmir Valley

Kashmiri Pandits employees protest in Srinagar seeking relocation outside Kashmir | KO File Photo By Abid Bhat ‘Will Approach Int’l Community For Asylum If Govt Fails To Protect Us’ Srinagar- Kashmiri Pandit employees on Monday threatened to appeal to international human rights organisations for asylum if the central government failed to relocate them from the Valley in the wake of attacks on…

[kupwaratimes-fan]

Kashmiri Pandits perform unique yoga in Kashmir

Kashmiri Pandits perform unique yoga in Kashmir

Kashmiri Pandits perform unique yoga in Kashmir Srinagar, Jun 21 Kashmiri Pandit employees on Tuesday adopted a novel way of using yoga to highlight their demand for relocation out of Kashmir in the wake of recent attacks on minorities in the valley. The Kashmiri Pandit (KP) employees, who have been protesting since the killing of Rahul Bhat on May 12, observed the International Day of Yoga at…

[taajx]

Kashmiri Pandits Protest, Threaten To Leave After Targeted Killings

Kashmiri Pandits Protest, Threaten To Leave After Targeted Killings

Targeted killings of Kashmiri Pandits have raised a big concern over security (AFP) Srinagar: Hundreds of Kashmiri Pandits came out in Srinagar today in protest against targeted killings. Many of them, especially government employees from the Kashmiri Pandit community, have left the valley and the rest have threatened to migrate to Jammu region, putting a jobs package for them by Prime Minister…

[listenzaheer]

Kashmir Pandits hit streets again in Srinagar, demand relocation

Kashmir Pandits hit streets again in Srinagar, demand relocation

(Pic Credit – KNO) Srinagar: Kashmiri Pandits on Saturday hit the streets again in the Rajbagh area of Srinagar in Central Kashmir to register their protest against the killing of Rahul Bhat at Chadoora, Budgam. Witnesses told the news agency—KNO, that the protesters were holding banners that read “our only demand relocation/Deputation of all valley posted migrant employees to any other place in…

[thedailyexcelsior]

Protesting KP Employees Detained After Sec 144 Imposed Around Press Club Jammu

Police detained protesting Kashmiri Pandit Employees after authorities imposed CrPc section 144 around the premises of Press Club Jammu.KP Employees demanding relocation to Jammu had been protesting from this venue for quite a long time.

[therevolutionaryg]

Kashmiri Pandits protesting against the brutal killing of Rahul Bhatt were lathi-charged and imprisoned. More than 350 Kashmiri Pandit government employees resigned in protest.

The big thing is that Vivek Agnihotri and Anupam Kher, who fill their pockets by selling the painful story of Pandits, are no longer able to see the injustice being done to the Pandits in Kashmir.

Where is 'Kashmir Files' gang?

[kimskashmir]

Angry Kashmiri Pandits block Jammu road to protest latest target killing by militants in Valley

As the news of the latest killing of Kashmiri Pandit broke out, they came out of the protest site and marched towards the main road and blocked the highway, amid high pitch sloganeering to denounce the target killings by militants and the alleged failure of the government to deal with the situation.

JAMMU — Hundreds of protesting displaced Kashmiri Pandit employees, who are seeking their relocation from the valley, on Saturday blocked Jammu-Akhnoor road to protest the latest targeted killing of their community member by militants in the valley. Puran Krishan Bhat was fired upon by militants near his residence in the Chowdhary Gund area of south Kashmir’s Shopian district this afternoon,…

[unpluggedtv]

People across Jammu and Kashmir are protesting in the streets following the intentional killing of a Kashmiri Pandit employee in Budgam.

[thenetionalnews]

bhat: Jammu and Kashmir LG meets Rahul Bhat's family | India News

bhat: Jammu and Kashmir LG meets Rahul Bhat’s family | India News

SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday assured justice to the family of Rahul Bhata Kashmiri pandit government employee who was shot dead by militants a day earlier, and said terrorists and their supporters will have to pay a very heavy price for their heinous act. Sinha met Bhat’s family amid protests by members of the community against the killing. “Met the…

[nasiknews]

Pandit Employees Threaten Mass Migration from Kashmir Valley

Pandit Employees Threaten Mass Migration from Kashmir Valley

KO Photo By Abid Bhat Srinagar- Kashmiri Pandits, employed under the PM package, on Tuesday threatened to undertake mass migration from the valley if the government did not relocate them to safe places within next 24 hours as employees from the community hit the streets at various places to protest against the killing of a lady teacher by militants in Kulgam district. We have decided that if the…

[kupwaratimes-fan]

Kashmiri Pandits stage protest in Kupwara, block highway; Mehbooba put under ‘house arrest’

Kashmiri Pandits stage protest in Kupwara, block highway; Mehbooba put under ‘house arrest’

Kashmiri Pandits stage protest in Kupwara, block highway; Mehbooba put under ‘house arrest’ Kupwara, May 13: Scores of Kashmiri Pandits on Friday held a protest against the killing of a 36-year-old Kashmiri Pandit employee by militants inside his office in Budgam’s Chadoora. On Thursday, unidentified militants barged inside Tehsildar’s office at Chadoora village in Budgam and shot dead Rahul…