Why Stone Pelting
Doesn’t Stop?
Twenty
two year old R Thirumani killing by stone pelters in my opinion is the first
recorded death by stone pelters of Kashmir that has since become a national
news. Millions of stones have been hurled at our army men, police and innocent people
including children. It is a mystery and a miracle why after thirty years of continuous
stone pelting on a weekly, daily and sometimes hourly basis, the first death is
now being reported. This calls for an introspection on part of every
intellectual. To me this could mean only two things. Either the stone pelters
are extremely poor marksmen or suffer from malnutrition that their stones leave
their hands but don’t reach their targets, the heads of the people. Or their
targets, the people have been so agile that they have been able to see the
stones in time and avoid them, time after time and escape death.
The
stones are meant to kill.
The
picture of Ms. Mehbooba Mufti, the Hon’ble Chief Minister, consoling the father
of the murdered young man (Yes, I say he was murdered) looks like a picture of compassion
and pity. Suddenly she seems to have discovered that stones thrown by stone
pelters have killed a young man and for a change he is not from army or police.
All these years when stones were hurled, she never thought of this possibility.
No one from Kashmir did. Not Mr. Abdullah or even the Geelanis. No wonder that
only recently she forgave hundreds of stone pelters and gave them amnesty believing
their hearts have reformed. Way off the mark I presume. Her silent partner in
the government also didn’t think of objecting to her decision. After all stone
pelting at Indians is Kashmir youths’ national pastime, an obsession that has
been taught to them as sacred and profane by the elders in their family as soon
as they are thought to reach manhood.
Ms.
Mufti and every leader of her ilk is perhaps worried that this act will blow
the lid of image of stone throwers which has been cultivated over the years.
The reason is not hard to fathom. The azaadi and jehad in Kashmir is intricately
linked to the image of the stone thrower.
Tihar
Jail at one time had many a stone pelter. They were known as ‘patharbazz’
group. It was one such of group of six people who I came in contact and who told
me where and how they practiced this art. Yes, they see it as an art.
Twenty
four year old Parvez (name changed) had told me that when he threw his first
stone at the age of nine at the Indian army, his father hugged him and called
all the male members of his family and proclaimed him the man of the house. When
Parvez said his stone had bloodied the face of an army man the celebration in
the home had doubled. Whether they died or not after that or been maimed for
life is perhaps not in records and will never be part of a statistic that no
one cares about. It is not difficult to pass it as death due to injury.
Friends
of Parvez had nodded and shared that they too had gone through this rite of
passage with their family.
So,
R Thirumani’s tragic death has the possibility to change the status quo in
Kashmir and so utmost compassion is being shown by everyone. The death of a
young man that the whole of India is talking about, a tourist who symbolizes
flow of money to Kashmir is in danger of drying up. Easy money, the only thing almost
every Kashmiri living in the valley considers of value apart from azaadi and jihad
if dries up, can seriously upset the lazy life they have lead, apart from stone
pelting and having looted the properties of Kashmiri Pandits.
Therefore,
for the first time we see condemnation of stone pelting. From Ms. Mufti to Mr.
Omar Abdullah and yes hold your breath, from even the separatist leaders. For
say what would happen if the tourists’ now stop coming out of fear of getting
killed or maimed. Last time it happened, it was twenty nine years ago. The average
Kashmiri had come to the verge of starvation and every otherwise peace loving Kashmiri
had put down their stones and told the gun toting militants to buzz off. One
stone hit wrongly at the wrong time to the wrong person can upset the whole
apple cart. No pun intended. Some of them must be thanking their stars that it
didn’t hit a white skin from Europe. Liberals and human rights groups would find
it very hard to criticize it.
So,
the reality of stone pelters has to be carefully hidden from the rest of the world.
It should never be allowed to break out. Everyone worth his salt who wants azaadi
in Kashmir, every Hurriyat guy, even the average peace loving Kashmiri who has
cried slogans on death to infidels has agreed that there would be universal condemnation
galore in the next few days. The tourists must not be allowed to lose their
hope in coming to Kashmir and there would be no stone throwing and no stones in
the hand of any youth for a few days. There would be talks arranged on the
value of insaniyat, sorry kashmiriyat, till the Indians forget about it and
start coming again. The hypocrisy as usual is on the other side who have
created the Kashmir problem.
Will
a few leftist liberals be roped in for the desired dressing of the salad that
is being prepared? It depends on how quickly the Indians and the world forgets
this tragedy. So far they have forgotten it really fast and some people would
cross their heart that they do so this time too. Some would speak about R Thirumani’s
bright life being cut short, a rare tribute to one who did not die in the conventional
way of a martyr against the present intolerable regime and for whom the
liberals have written massive tributes about and lit candles. Should I even add
that they would say that if the Kashmir problem had been solved by India, this
young man and every other young man of his age, some killed by Indian army for
terrorism wouldn’t have lost their lives. They would urge all parties to give
up their differences, the present party in power in particular to find a
solution for the lasting peace in Kashmir. And this I shouldn’t mention that they
would be careful not to have any condemnation of stone pelters and their philosophy
for over thirty years.
Well,
why there has been no condemnation of stone pelters or their act in this
tragedy made into an imbroglio? The answer is that stones have always been
thrown and are meant to kill. Every young man who picks up a stone is doing so
to kill an infidel and will suffer no guilt or shame if his stone hits and
kills him. Maiming is not enough. It is death and death alone. Why? Why the
lethality of stone pelting, its barbaric nature (it is always aimed at someone’s
head. Ask any stone pelter) and its use by children never condemned by their
elders who witness it?
In
the heydays of terrorism in Kashmir in the nineties’ Parvez told me, “My Abbu
encouraged me. He would smile every time I told him I threw a stone and it hit
a soldier’s head. Once when I told him that I threw a stone and the driver of
the truck lost his balance, my Abbu gave me one rupee and hugged me. He never
stopped me from throwing stones and after I bloodied a soldier I became a hero
in my area.”
“But
did you never think that you may kill someone, even at that young age?”
“No,
he replied, I learnt from my elders that throwing stones at infidels is a holy act
and there is a special place ascribed for them who do so. It has been done,
recommended to pick up stones to end injustice in the world. If you read our
history, you will know. Stones have been picked up and thrown for punishment,
for everything what is considered immoral and oppressive.”
“So
how is one supposed to do it, that is throw stones?” I had asked.
“It
is not a mechanical thing that you pick up a stone from the ground and throw
it. It is a ritual akin to prayer that one aims and targets at the enemy taking
the name of God. Then one never misses,” Parvez told me with a smile.
Parvez
had shown me two skills. He picked up two small stones and hit one in air and
then the other one. The second one hit the first one in mid air and the two
fell together. The second was when he made a small pile of stones at a distance
and after closing his eyes hit the mound without seeing. “That is the way an average
stone thrower develops his art,” he had told me.
“Any
enemy, however powerful, can be brought to his knees by stone throwers our Abbus
told us. Every Kashmiri knows in their heart of hearts that if azaadi ever
comes it will be because of stone pelters.”
“Will
you ever stop stone pelting?” I had asked them.
“No,
never, it will never stop. It is the identity of six million Kashmiri Muslims,”
was his answer.
Looking
far away he said, “One day every child will pick up stones in Kashmir and throw
them high. That day the sky of Kashmir will turn black and bring azaadi.”
The
tragic death of R Thirumani and the grief it has caused has the potential to turn
around the sadistic and barbaric practice of stone throwing. I pray that it would
change, sooner than later the conscience of every Indian so that more lives are
not lost to this practice.
Rajat
Mitra
.
