SRINAGARKASHMIR: India’s most prominent Hindu nationalist politician carried the nations lag in to the central square of Kashmir’s capital Sunday in a defiant gesture of Indian domination of the rebellious predominantly Muslim region.
Explosions and gunfire echoed through Srinagar’s streets which were barren except for tens of thousands of police and soldiers sent to protect the Hindu leader Murli Manohar Joshi.
For two years militant Kashmiri militants have waged a full scale program to drive Indian troops and officials from the Vale of Kashmir a move that has cost the lives of thousands of civilian’s guerrillas and members of the security forces.
The army and police imposed an around the clock curfew for the last two days on towns and villagers throughout the valley and have banned all civilian vehicle traffic. Guerrillas have attacked army patrols and fixed positions by night and by day.
Weapons Fire Heard All Day
All day Sunday weapons fire was heard throughout Srinagar. There were reports that at least 20 People were killed by late that evening including 3 members of the security forces.
The status of Kashmir has been disputed since India and Pakistan became independent nations in 1947 with both countries claiming sovereignty. Each now controls part of the region with China occupying adjacent sector India’s efforts to suppress the rebellion has been frequently criticized by international human rights groups which cite hundreds of instances of torture and murder of suspected militants at the hands of security officials.
Repeatedly in recent weeks the major rebel groups here have threatened to prevent Joshi the president of India’s largest opposition party the Bharatiya Janata any from traveling to Srinagar with thousands of his followers.
On Friday rebels detonated a bomb in the office of Kashmir’s senior police official gravely wounding five of the region’s top security officials. The attack came as Joshi declared that he would not be deterred from leading a caravan of thousands of supporters into the valley to show the Indian flag on the nations Republic Day.
Security for Convoy Impossible
He had begun his trek which he named Pilgrimage for Unity 44 days before at India’s southernmost point. But the inability of the security forces to protect even their highest officials made it clear that there was no way despite the presence of several hundred thousand troops in the Vale of Kashmir to protect a convoy of cars and buses filed with zealous Hindus. So Joshi and a small contingent of his closest supporters were flown here on Saturday night.
By daybreak the army had erected a 1Sfoothigh makeshift white flagpole on low dais in the center if the city’s central square Lal Chowk and covered it with or ange brown and red Kashmiri carpets. At the flagpoles tip a tightly folded Indian flag dangled from a halyard.
Then less than an hour before Joshi was due to arrive there were two thunderous explosions which the army said appeared to be detonations of rockets fired by guerilla groups.
Problems Even With the Flag
Suddenly two olive-drab army buses lumbered into the square which was empty except for soldiers and a small crowd of journalists. About 70 of Joshi’s sup porters stepped gingerly from the buses uneasily eyeing the huge military presence.
Four white sedans sped into the square and Joshi in a traditional Kashmiri feran or woolen cape and saffron scarf hurried toward the flagpole. He began waving an Indian flag which he tried to mount on a collapsible flagpole that a supporter supplied. But as followers pushed to get close the pole broke in several places and the flag tumbled down onto Joshi.
Undeterred he moved to the army’s flagpole and tugged on the halyard unbundling the flag above him releasing a shower of yellow blue and red confetti that had been folded with the banner Then he and his followers sang the national anthem bringing even the soldiers to precise attention.
Moments later Joshi was hustled back to his car and rushed to the air force helicopter that was to carry him home. He was in Lal Chowk for exactly 11 minutes.
Decries Politics of the Gun
Before boarding the helicopter Joshi declared that he had accomplished his mission.
“The people of Kashmir” he said “have understood the message that the country is behind the idea of national unity and solidarity and it is useless to fight against democratic forces of the country. They will understand that it is no use to take the politics of the gun. It is of no use to be misguided by a neighboring country.
But guerrilla groups greeted Joshi’s hasty visit to Srinagar with contempt. Ina telephone interview this afternoon Zainul Abideen a spokesman for the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front the guerrilla organization that seems to enjoy the broadest support among the four million residents of the Indian held part of Kashmir said the Hindu leader had abandoned his plan to complete his trek by road because of the guerrilla’s threats.
“We don’t give any credence to the hoisting of the flag in the presence of security personnel” added Abideen who claimed responsibility for the bombing of police headquarters on Friday. “It is a defeat for Joshi. The flag itself fell on his head.”
Courtesy of New York Times
Article extracted from this publication >> February 7, 1992
