Sameer Yasir

Constitutionally, India is a ‘democratic state’ wherein every individual, group or an institution can have its own beliefs and arguments or issues relating to their concern. And they are free to express and publish their concern. But as India becomes a more powerful, economically, militarily and diplomatically it seems the state and its people are becoming more intolerant to the people having a divergent view. A society which is ready to kill its ‘sons of soil’ but not to hear them and address their grievances, cant be called a mature democratic society, is what once the supreme court of India said.   

Leave Kashmir aside, even some Indians themselves have been made targets for which the state has started raising battalions making huge bases for deploying thousands of security personnel against the poor, marginalized Indians who are fighting for their daily survival – All because the new India wants to displace the old India which looks ugly, Malnutritioned and poor. Because they sit on huge mineral resources and places which can be of economic benefit to big corporations.  

Even for that matter Syed Ali Shah Geelani goes to Delhi and tries to make the known usual stance of his on Kashmir to make the public aware about the ‘real situation’. Within minutes the moral guardians of the Indian democratic society gather in the lawns of Center for Study of Development Societies and try to stop Geelani from interacting with the people.

What had happened on the 26th of March, Syed Ali Geelani, was about to entre the CSDS for an interaction with the academics and scholars when ABVP goons lead by its president started raising slogans and tried to beat the leader up. The interaction was facilitated with the members of civil society and academia to make aware the people about the situation on the ground in Kashmir and gain support on issues of grave human rights violations.

This was the first interaction which would have kick started the programme under which Geelani was to reach out to the Indian civil society. The verbal and physical attack on the octogenarian leader only shows how few Indians are making hostage the belief in which its founding lights held.

But is this the kind of the society Indian people want to live in, where any thug can be given money and made to create chaos and disorder to prevent people from making informed opinions.

There is no doubt that it was a significant development, because reaching out to the civil society in mainland India is what every Kashmiri leader should try. Because, unless we tell them what the political reality on the ground is no one else will.

But the continued heckling of the political leaders by the ABVP and it affiliates have made it difficult for the people like Geelani to put forward their view. Divergent views of course won’t yield fruits in hours but the process of listening to understand and agreeing to disagree with each other finally will.

When he stared his interaction, Geelani said something that defines how the new political reality looks like. He said these are ‘our children and I am not worried about it’. I can make them understand why we are asking for what we have been asking for.

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