How People in Kashmir Defy and Follow Hurriyat’s Protest Calendar

The calendar for the week of 28 October - 3 November, calls people to break the military siege on Jamia Masjid.

While the protests may be ebbing away, it should not be confused with restoration of normalcy. (Photo: AP)

• The Hurriyat leaders issued a new protest calendar for the week of 28 October - 3 November, calling on people to break the military siege on Jamia Masjid.
  
• More than 7,000 protesters arrested, 2,400 FIRs lodged over the last four months, but people still shut down their business as soon as Hurriyat calls for a shutdown.
  
• While most people are troubled because of the shutdown, some people still follow the calendar diligently.
  
• The cases of stone-pelting has gone down from 180 per day to around 10, but restoration of normalcy might take some time.
  

It looked like a pile of rocks.

Driving his car, Tanvir Altaf could also make out, some 100 metres away, a group of masked youngsters - some holding sticks in their hands - lolling by the blockade on the road. Shops were shut. Not a cop was in sight.

"I continued driving, hoping to reason with them. As I reached the blockade, one of them, without even listening, brought down his right hand with all strength on the front windshield, damaging it irreparably," Tanvir, who works for Britannia as a territory sales assistant, told The Quint.

(Photo: The Quint)

Also Read: Hurriyat Calls for March to Jamia Masjid. Will Kashmiris Follow?

The attack took place last week in Nagam village of central Kashmir's Budgam district. Although protesters in Kashmir follow the Hurriyat calendar in letter and spirit, Tanvir was out on a bad day during bad time. On the previous day, forces had raided the village, looking for 'miscreants'.

Some youths were picked up, angering the villagers. The Hurriyat’s protest calendar didn’t matter to them anymore. They were continuing with the shutdown even during the relaxation hours. I especially felt sorry for the poor chap. Blood was oozing under his fingernails and he ran away.

Tanvir, Sales Assistant, Britannia

(Photo: The Quint)

Enforcing Shutdown, Restoring 'Normalcy'

While the authorities have launched a massive crackdown on protesters - more than 7,000 have been arrested or detained with about 2,400 FIRs lodged over the last four months - to restore normalcy in Kashmir, it's not unusual to see people defying the Hurriyat's protest calendar.

But when the Hurriyat-sponsored shutdown comes into effect, it's time to close down businesses. Stones can fly from any side. While the national highway is secured by forces, all signs of activity on interior roads, especially in rural areas of south Kashmir, are curbed by a pile of rocks here, logs of wood there and even concrete pipes meant to carry sewer.

More than 7,000 protesters have been arrested or detained with about 2,400 FIRs lodged over the last four months. (Photo: AP)

At Mochua, in the periphery of capital Srinagar on Saturday, a group of youths won’t allow any vehicle to cross the blockade because the H-shutdown is in effect. “Do you want Azadi or not,” one of them shouts at a middle-aged man in a car pleading to let him through.

Out of nowhere, a biker emerges from the street next to the road. The pillion is waving a hockey stick. As it zooms past, the stick comes down on the back of the car, smashing the glass into pieces. "If you don't turn around, they will break your car into pieces," the youth at the blockade advises the man, who is yet to recover from the shock.

Also Read: All Schools in Kashmir Follow Hurriyat’s Bandh Calendar Except One

For Some, it's a Matter of Livelihood

Over the last four months, thousands of vehicles have been targeted by protesters, many of them Hurriyat activists, as well as security forces. Apart from the tourism sector, men who sold their land or availed bank loans to own a passenger car for earning a livelihood, have been worst-hit in the prevailing crisis.

Because of the shutdown, I am unable to pay the EMI. If I don’t start repayment, the bank is going to seize the vehicle. I will not only lose my job, but also my life’s earnings. I tried taking passengers to Srinagar, but I was attacked and the car was damaged.

Abdul Rashid, a resident of Baramulla.

There are others, however, who follow the strike call diligently. "I can't close my eyes to the bloodshed and the coercion done by security forces. If Hurriyat asks me to keep my business shut for another year, I will do it gladly," Rouf Wani, a wholesale dealer in local dry fruits like almonds and walnuts, said at his shop in Lal Chowk.

Over the last four months, thousands of vehicles have been targeted by protesters. (Photo: AP)

Ebbing Protests and Need for Dialogue

An internal study of the J&K Police suggests that the current agitation is on its last legs. Having arrested over 7,000 people, the intensity as well as the frequency of protests is waning fast. As per the study, from 180 to 200 incidents of stone throwing in the first week of Burhan Wani's killing, only ten incidents were reported in the last week of October.

While the protests may be ebbing away, it should not be confused with restoration of normalcy.

According to police sources, incidents of road blockades and attacks on vehicles are reported almost on a daily basis from all districts of Kashmir, especially during the time when the Hurriyat’s shutdown call is in effect.

"We can't deploy police everywhere. Then we have to open police stations in every village and town. There has to be some intervention at some level. I think it is a golden opportunity for the political leadership in the country to seize the moment and start a serious dialogue for ending this turmoil," a senior police officer told The Quint.