However, the local police swiftly refuted these claims, stating that there was no evidence to support the allegation of a targeted communal attack.

Police investigation and police presence

The incident that sparked these tensions began when a video surfaced on social media, showing minor boys from the Muslim community engaged in stone-pelting near the Kotwa area. The video, which was later identified as CCTV footage from one of the local houses, was shared widely, leading to a social media uproar. Hindu Families in Kotwa, in particular, claimed that the boys were indulging in “brick-batting” with the intent to create unrest and provoke violence against Hindu properties. However, the police dismissed these claims, focusing on the fact that the boys had targeted street bulbs and lights and not residential properties.

Following the release of the video, the Lohta police registered a case and began a probe into the incident. The police focused on determining whether the boys had deliberately targeted anything other than the streetlights. As part of the investigation, police reviewed the CCTV footage from the area and initiated further inquiries. The authorities have emphasised that they are maintaining a vigilant presence in the locality to prevent any escalation of tensions.

Allegation of Hindu families in fear: claims of targeting and forced migration

Amid the ongoing investigation, around 15 Hindu families residing in Kotwa Village have claimed to media persons that they are living in constant fear and after the killing of Bhaiyalal. a Hindu youth from the area, whose body was found in a partially burnt condition earlier last month in February, 2025.

According to this reportage, these claims of insecurity had led to CCTV cameras being installed in some homes. Additionally, a local elder alleged that a specific area near a temple had been deliberately turned into a garbage dumping ground.

Police investigation: the motive behind the stone-pelting incident

As the investigation progressed, the police began to piece together the events leading up to the stone-pelting incident. ACP Rohaniya Sanjiv Kumar Sharma confirmed that the CCTV footage showed the Muslim minors throwing stones at streetlights, with no indication of targeting houses or attempting to incite violence. The footage also revealed that the minors were attempting to steal the bulbs after breaking the streetlights, which pointed to the possibility of a theft rather than a planned communal disturbance. All further necessary legal action will be taken,  Times of India reported

Stone-pelting incident confirmed, theft attempt by minors: Police

Following the release of the CCTV footage, Neetu Katyayan, the ADCP of Varanasi Gomti Zone, clarified the police’s stance on the matter. She confirmed that the boys shown in the footage were indeed minors and that the motive behind their actions was theft—specifically, the intention to steal the streetlight bulbs.

The footage clearly showed the boys taking the bulbs after breaking the streetlights. The police have been investigating the incident in detail and emphasized that there was no evidence to support claims of any communal targeting or violence, reported Punjab Kesari

9 arrested in Kotwa stone pelting incident

The Lohta police arrested nine teenagers in connection with the stone-pelting incident at Abhilash Singh’s house in Kotwa village. The arrested individuals, aged between 12 and 15 years, were captured on CCTV footage during the act. According to Lohta SHO Praveen Kumar, the police swiftly identified and apprehended all the suspects. After their arrest, the teenagers were presented before the court and subsequently sent to the juvenile correction home in Ramnagar, as reported

Murder of Bhaiyalal Patel fuels communal unrest in Kotwa Village

The tension in Kotwa Village can also be traced back to the murder of Bhaiyalal Patel, a Hindu youth, which occurred earlier in February. On February 14, 2025, the Lohata police made significant progress in the investigation of Patel’s murder, arresting four individuals—Ashraf Ali, Abdul Kadir, Sultan, and Shakeel—who were accused of killing Patel and burning his body. According to the police, the accused had consumed alcohol with Patel on the night of February 10, near the Mazar of Barkat Shah Banarasi. When Patel refused to give them money for more alcohol, they allegedly attacked him, pushed him from a wall, and ultimately caused his death. To conceal the crime, the accused then attempted to burn Patel’s body before dumping it in a mustard field, Times of India reported

Hindu families demand permanent PAC presence in village

Over the past few days, on demands made by affected residents, the Uttar Pradesh government decided to deploy the PAC (Provincial Armed Constabulary) in Kotwa village in response to growing communal tensions allegation.

The media coverage so far has primarily focused on the perspective of the Hindu families, with no statements from the families of the arrested minors and other villagers. One villager pointed out that no peace meetings had been held by the administration in the past two years.

Additional CP leads march in Kotwa village ahead of Ramzan and Holi

Besides these allegations, ahead of Ramzan and Holi festivals, Additional CP Dr. S. Chansya conducted a route march through Kotwa village on Saturday evening i.e. March 8, accompanied by a significant police presence. Former Rohania MLA Surendra Narayan Singh, along with BJP officials, also visited the village to engage with the local community. He reportedly appealed to the residents to celebrate the festivals peacefully and in harmony. During the march, several key officials, including DCP Varuna Gene Chandrakant Meena, ACP Rohania Sanjeev Sharma, and Additional CP Dr. M. Channappa, were present, along with station in-charges from Manduadih, Rohania, and Lohta, as well as PAC jawans.

A peace meeting was held later at IMA, Lahurabir, where Dr. S. Channappa addressed the villagers, urging them to cooperate with the police for a peaceful festival. He emphasized that if any issues arose, the police should be contacted immediately and advised not to believe in rumors. DCP Kashi Zone Gaurav Bansal, ACPs Dhananjay Mitra, Pragya Pathak, and Gaurav Kumar, along with the head priest, also attended the meeting to reinforce the message of maintaining peace and unity throughout the festivities, as reported

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According to Jamui police, the violence unfolded at around 4.30 pm when a group of approximately 30 people, led by members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Hindu Swabhimaan Sangathan, were returning from a Hanuman temple in a procession. Despite a contingent of six police personnel escorting the gathering, tensions escalated when the participants allegedly began shouting slogans near a local mosque. Soon after, alleged stone-pelting ensued, triggering a full-blown clash between groups from the Hindu and Muslim communities.

Several vehicles, including motorcycles and cars, were damaged in the melee. Among those injured were individuals identified as Nitish Kumar Sao, Khusbu Pandey, Pintu Kumar, Madhavlal Kashyap, and Suraj Barnwal. In response, the district administration imposed strict measures to contain further violence.

State response and internet suspension

Given the seemingly volatile nature of the situation, the Bihar government imposed a 48-hour internet suspension in Jamui district as a preventive measure. District Magistrate Abhilasha Sharma justified the decision, citing concerns that social media platforms could be used to spread inflammatory content, incite violence, and further disrupt communal harmony. The restriction, enforced under Section 5 of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, limits access to popular platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, YouTube, and Telegram.

Munger range Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Rakesh Kumar defended the internet ban, stating, “Various social media platforms and so-called news portals have been spreading rumours, exacerbating the tension. We took this decision to prevent further disturbances.” The state’s approach highlights an ongoing trend of digital blackouts being used as a tool for crisis management, though it raises concerns about suppression of information and freedom of speech.

Police action and political undertones

In the aftermath of the violence, law enforcement agencies registered two separate First Information Reports (FIRs) under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) related to rioting, inciting violence, and destruction of public property. One FIR, based on a complaint from local residents, named 41 individuals, eight of whom have been arrested. The second FIR was lodged against unidentified persons.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Madan Kumar Anand assured that additional security forces had been deployed in the affected areas, with senior officers closely monitoring the situation. However, the broader political climate in Bihar adds another layer to the incident. With the state assembly elections scheduled for October, communal clashes such as this have the potential to be politicised.

It is notable that the groups leading the religious procession – ABVP and Hindu Swabhimaan Sangathan – are affiliated with right-wing organisations. The decision to chant slogans near a mosque, as reported by the district magistrate, suggests deliberate provocation, which aligns with broader patterns of polarisation observed in election years. Such incidents often serve as flashpoints for communal rhetoric, aiding political forces seeking to consolidate voter bases along religious lines.

The larger implications of rising communal tensions

Bihar has witnessed an increase in communal incidents in recent years, with religious processions frequently turning into sites of confrontation. The Jamui incident fits within a larger trend of heightened sectarian tensions across India, where public religious expressions, often involving processions and chanting, are strategically used to provoke responses from opposing communities.

Moreover, the state’s decision to suspend internet services, which the authorities might deem the same to be effective in curbing immediate escalation, raises concerns about the government’s approach to crisis management. Such measures, instead of addressing the root causes of communal discord, serve as a temporary fix while leaving underlying grievances unaddressed. This trend of using blanket digital blackouts also raises important questions about democratic rights, access to information, and state overreach.

As Bihar moves closer to its crucial state elections, incidents like these will likely be used by different political factions to push communal narratives. The role of law enforcement in ensuring neutrality and preventing further violence will be a key test for the administration in the coming months. If not handled carefully, the Jamui clash could become yet another episode in the deepening communal fault lines in India’s political and social fabric.

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The post Communal Tensions Erupt in Bihar’s Jamui: Alleged stone-pelting during religious procession leads to violence appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Background of the incidents:

According to a previous report in Sabrang India, several Hindu right-wing organisations including Sakal Hindu Samaj, one of the leading right-wing organisations known for organising communal and provocative events and rallies to target minorities of this country specially Muslims, had called a Protest March to condemn alleged atrocities on members of the minority community in Bangladesh. The protests in Maharashtra were fuelled by recent reports of escalating violence against the Hindu community in Bangladesh, particularly following the fall of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government on August 5. The Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance has reported a surge in attacks against minorities, with incidents and threats documented in 278 locations across 48 districts.

Nashik

On Friday, August 16, in the Bhadrakali area of Nashik in Maharashtra witnessed heightened chaos and tensions during the ‘bandh’ (Protest) called by right-wing extremist organisation Sakal Hindu Samaj, an umbrella body of several outfits, leading to violence where police lobbed tear gas shells to disperse the crowd.

Nashik Police Commissioner Sandeep Karnik provided details on the response to the violence: “Six tear gas shells and one rubber bullet were fired to disperse the crowd. Around six police officers were injured. Police personnel, including State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) jawans, were deployed in the area to maintain peace.”

#WATCH | Maharashtra: Violence broke out in Nashik, earlier today, during the protest march over the Bangladesh issue. pic.twitter.com/oFJSu4WOKw

— ANI (@ANI) August 16, 2024

The unrest began in the afternoon when members of the Sakal Hindu Samaj organised a protest march and motorbike rally. Tensions escalated as the demonstrators reached Bhadrakali and observed that some shops had defied the bandh and remained open. What began as verbal disputes soon erupted into stone-throwing and clashes, resulting in damage to several vehicles and exacerbating the already volatile situation. The police have managed to de-escalate the situation. 

Clashes erupted in Jalgaon: Stones Hurled at Showroom

On August 16, in Jalgaon, another protest by the Sakal Hindu Samaj led to violence when stones were thrown at a vehicle showroom. According to an official report, “The incident occurred in Jalgaon city this morning during a protest march by the Sakal Hindu Samaj against anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh. Some unidentified persons hurled a few stones at a two-wheeler showroom.”

The official added that the situation was tense initially but was brought under control with police intervention. To prevent further escalation, additional police personnel were deployed across the city.

Hindu religious leader’s remarks against Prophet sparks row

Hindu religious leader Ramgiri Maharaj’s remarks against Prophet Mohammad and Islam sparked controversy in Maharashtra, resulting in police cases being filed in Nashik and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. 

The communal tension erupted after the video of a remark by Maharaj, during his sermon at the ‘Akhand Harinam Saptah’ at Shree Kshetra Panchale in Sinnar tehsil of Nashik district, went viral. He allegedly made the controversial remark while speaking on the situation of Hindus in Bangladesh. After the video went viral, on Thursday night, thousands of people from a community took to the streets in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar and Vaijapur to protest.

On Friday over alleged objectionable remarks made by the Hindu religious leader Ramgiri Maharaj against the Prophet Mohammad and Islam ended in police filing cases against him in two districts of Maharashtra following complaints by members of the Muslim community. The remarks were made recently by Ramgiri Maharaj at Shah Panchale village in Sinnar taluka of Nashik district during a religious event and its video went viral on social media, police said.

The FIR in Vaijapur was filed under section 302 (uttering words with deliberate intent to wound religious feelings of any person) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) based on a complaint lodged by a local resident, the police said. The complainant in the case, Rafehasan Ali Khan, said he came to know about the video of Ramgiri Maharaj in which he was heard saying, among other things, that one crore Muslims have abandoned Islam and also passed a comment against Prophet Mohammad.

Former MP from AIMIM for Aurangabad constituency, Imtiaz Jaleel, has alleged a political plot behind the controversial statement of Maharaj, slamming him for making statements which would create hatred in society. “It’s a political plot. If you look at the statement, it’s clear that someone wrote it and Ramgiri Maharaj just read out the script on the directions of someone,” he said.

Who is Ramgiri Maharaj?

Mahant Ramgiri Maharaj is chief of the ‘Sadguru Gangagiri Maharaj Sansthan’ based in Sarala Island (Godavari River) in Shrirampur tehsil of Ahmednagar district. The sansthan has a 177-year-old tradition of organising ‘Akhand Harinam Saptah’. Lakhs of devotees from nearby districts attend the sermons during this week. Ramgiri Maharaj also gives sermons periodically at various places and has big followers in Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar and Ahmednagar districts. Due to his large following, many politicians of the region, including MLAs and local body leaders, attend or organise ‘Harinam Saptah’.

“These words by Ramgiri Maharaj have hurt the religious sentiments of Muslims and created a rift between the two communities,” the complainant said. Tension prevailed for some time on Friday afternoon in part of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city after a group of Muslims gathered outside the City Chowk police station to demand action against Ramgiri Maharaj. Jaleel wrote a letter to the city police commissioner to seek action against the Hindu religious leader. The statements were made deliberately to malign the image of the Muslim community, he alleged. Reported Economic Times

Police have imposed section 144 in the area to restrict public gathering. They also registered a case in Yeola in Nashik district and registered another FIR at Sangamner in Ahmednagar after residents gathered and demanded action against Maharaj for hurting religious sentiments. A crowd also blocked the Ahmednagar-Sambhaji Nagar Road for some time.

Divisive, majoritarian background of Sakal Hindu Samaj

Sakal Hindu Samaj is an umbrella organisation of several Hindutva organisations including Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS), Shiv Pratishtha and Sanatan Sanstha. They regularly organise such events and give platform to those who promote hard-core divisive and violent ideology in the name of protection of the Hindu religion. Citizens for Justice and Peace has been monitoring and tracking the these events and rallies organised by the Sakal Hindu Samaj, many events for the month of August may be planned in various parts of Maharashtra. From August 4, ‘Hindu Jan Aakrosh Morchas” led by the Sakal Hindu Samaj, right wing-supported umbrella body of the Hindutva organisation, started organising events and rallies with provocative hate speeches against minorities. First held in late 2022, these rallies involve members marching through cities with saffron flags and headwear, followed by speeches against the Muslim community. 

Hindu right-wing organisations such as Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Sanatan Sanstha organised about two dozen such marches in various parts of the state last year. Hindu Sakal Samaj has been notorious for organising events and calling people who are known to deliver hate speeches in the past. 

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“Protect religion, women and cows,” right wing groups tell the youth, hands them Trishuls

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Eid prayers were disrupted by miscreants in Uttar Pradesh’s Allahabad on Saturday. The police filed an FIR against Rahul Maurya, Yashwant, Atul, and 12 unidentified miscreants. The incident was reported from Maudostpur village whereby stones were allegedly pelted by the miscreants during Eid prayers thus injuring one young man named Mohammed Ebaad.

The complaint was registered by the Eidgah committee president Rehmat Ullah who also identified three of the miscreants. This is not the first time the Eidgah was attacked. Earlier too, miscreants tried to break the boundary wall but no police action was taken, reported Siasat.

Yesterday, a Hindutva mob pelted stones during Eid prayers in Allahabad. In this, Md. Ebaad got injured. Police chased and caught Yashwant and filed an FIR against Rahul, Atul, and 12 unidentified miscreants for allegedly throwing stones at people offering Eid namaz at the… pic.twitter.com/KtollwixVV

— Meer Faisal (@meerfaisal01) April 23, 2023

Last year as well Eid prayers were disrupted in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur where stones were pelted and bikes were set on fire injuring 16, including 4 policemen. The dispute was over replacing a Hindu flag with a Muslim flag at the statue of a freedom fighter. Since, in the area, Muslims occasionally offered namaaz during Eid and raised Muslim flags, there was a dispute over removing the flags of Lord Parashuram. Notably, celebrations of Eid clashes with Lord Parshuram Jayanti.

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A day after a right-wing Hindutva group threatened protesters, an altercation at Singhu border resulted in lathi-charge and tear-gas shelling by Delhi police to fend off stone-pelters claiming to be local residents.

According to protester and part of the “kitab langar” (book langar) group Lovepreet, the stone-pelters have been visiting the protest site since January 28, demanding that farmers leave Singhu border for allegedly disrespecting the national flag on Republic Day.

“These people have been approaching the barricade for the last two days. Yesterday, they hardly came for an hour but the media hyped the incident. They are just RSS-BJP people who are trying to create chaos,” Lovepreet told SabrangIndia.

However, on Friday, the miscreants succeeded in disrupting the peace in the area by hurling stones at the police and nearby farmers. Police resorted to lathi-charge of both groups once the stone-pelters succeeded in breaking through the barricades.

According to The Hindu, the Alipur SHO was injured during the altercation by a protester carrying a sword. He was later arrested. The internet was shut-down in the area and continues to be suspended as of Friday night. Protesters also claimed infrequent electricity throughout the day.

Similarly, Lovepreet also said people in the vicinity were injured although the exact number of wounded people is unknown.

Finally, the situation was brought under control by the police and volunteers of farmers’ Unions. More security forces have been stationed in the region in light of consecutive incidents. Despite the short duration of the attack, it received wide coverage from media houses.

Some news channels such as NDTV questioned how people managed to enter the area when Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain and City Jal Board Chairman Raghav Chadha were not allowed to supply 12 water tankers to protesting farmers.

https://www.facebook.com/raghavchadhaca/videos/2833844540167441/

However, there is no concern of food or water within the protest area because farmers claim that real local residents provide basic amenities to the protesters.

“You can come here and talk to the locals. No one is telling us to go back. These people come from outside and tell us to go back. However, leaders have told us to maintain peace,” said Lovepreet.

Farmer leaders are yet to officially comment on recent incidents at Singhu border. Instead, people at protest sites have been told repeatedly to maintain peace in keeping with the spirit of the freedom struggle.

Meanwhile, morale is healing slowly among protesters especially after a “sadbhavna” march from the protest point and along the KMP highway where people waved the tricolour flag and marched as a mark of social harmony. Farmers prepare for a hunger strike on January 30.

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Farmers protest sites remain on high alert on Delhi borders
All eyes on Ghazipur farmers protest site
Opposition parties to boycott President’s address to Parliament on Friday

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Ghazipur: Mobocracy has taken over Uttar Pradesh in CM Yogi Adityanath’s as another police personnel was killed by a stone-pelting mob in Ghazipur, UP on Saturday.
 
Just days after inspector Subodh Kumar Singh was shot by cow vigilantes in Bulandshar, constable Suresh Vats (48) from Karimuddinpur police station was killed when protesters allegedly from Rashtriya Nishad Party hurled stones at vehicles returning from the venue of a public meeting addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
 
Vats was hit on the head by a stone when he went to end a traffic jam caused by the protests. He was rushed to a hospital, however, he succumbed to his injuries.
 
The arrests have been made based on video evidence gathered by the police. A total of 27 people have been arrested so far in related to the case.

 
Earlier on Sunday, Additional Director General (ADG) of the Varanasi zone PV Rama Shastri said that Nishad Party leader Arjun Kashyap is one of the main accused in the case and claimed to have enough evidence against him.
 
“Raids are being carried out to arrest him and others involved in this case,” she said.
 
“Some people from Nishad community were protesting near Atwa Mor police station in Naunera area where stone pelting took place during which he was hit,” PTI quoted Superintendent of Police (Ghazipur) Yashveer Singh as saying. Two locals have also been injured in the incident.
 
Earlier, Vat’s son, VP Singh, said the police department is unable to protect its own officials. “Police are not being able to protect their own,” Singh said.
 
The Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government later announced a compensation of Rs 50 lakh for the family. However, the deceased cop’s son said the compensation hold little meaning now that his father is gone. “What will we do with the compensation now? The compensation cannot bring back the person we lost,” Singh said.

 
Former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav from SP claimed that criminals have “doubled” in Uttar Pradesh under the BJP rule.
 
“UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is advocating his Thoko Neeti (encounter policy) everywhere. Due to this, there is a trend among the police officials that they undertake encounters when they anticipate that they can be transferred. Their acts are emulated by their subordinates,” Yadav added.

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On a summer morning this July in Srinagar, tear gas from the troubled streets of Batmaloo began to roll into the first-floor home of Fancy Jan. The 24-year-old went to draw the curtains to screen the room from the acrid smoke, her mother told a reporter later, then turned away from the window and said: “Mummy, maey aaw heartas fire (my heart’s taken fire, mummy)”. Then she dropped dead, a bullet in her chest, the casual target of an anonymous soldier’s rifle. Fancy Jan was not a ‘stone-pelter’. She was a bystander, like many of the 50 people killed in the last two months. She is not the first woman to be shot by the security forces in 20 years of the troubles. But her random death, almost incomprehensible in the presumed safety of her family’s modest home, coincides with a vigorous unsettling of the way women have been represented in this conflict.

Until the other day, Kashmiri women were little more than a convenient set of clichés, shown as perpetual bystanders in houses that overlook the streets of protest. When seen outside of that protected zone, they were cast as victims, wailing mourners, keening at the endless funeral processions. For an occasional frisson there is the daunting image of the severely veiled Asiya Andrabi, chief of the Dukhtaran-e-Millat, a women’s group whose high media visibility seems inversely proportional to the modest numbers who adhere to their militant Islamic sisterhood. In black from head to toe, Andrabi always makes for good television, her arms and hands concealed in immaculate gloves, only her eyes showing through a slit. For the Indian media her persona insinuates the dark penumbra of Kashmiri protest, signalling the threat of ‘hard-line’ Islam, a ready metaphor for ‘what-awaits-Kashmir-if…’

But now an unfamiliar new photograph of the Kashmiri woman has begun to take its place on newspaper front pages. She is dressed in ordinary shalwar kameez, pastel pink, baby blue, purple and yellow. Her head is casually covered with a dupatta and she seems unconcerned about being recognised. She is often middle-aged and could even be middle-class. And she is carrying a stone. A weapon directed at the security forces. Last week, in a vastly underreported story, a massive crowd stopped two Indian Air Force vehicles on the highway near Srinagar. At the forefront were hundreds of women. The airmen and their families were asked to dismount and move to the safety of a nearby building. Then the buses were torched. This is not a rare incident: women are everywhere in these troubled times in Kashmir, and not in the places traditionally assigned to them. They are collecting stones and throwing them and assisting the young men in the front ranks of the protesters to disguise themselves, even helping them escape when the situation gets tough.

The government’s narrative of ‘miscreants’, of anomie and drug-fuelled teenagers working as Rs 200 mercenaries for the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, has meanwhile started to appear faintly ridiculous. A more reasonable explanation is being proffered to us now: it is anger, we are told, the people of Kashmir are angry at the recent killings and that’s why the women are being drawn in. That is true but only partially. For this is no ordinary anger but an old, bottled-up rage, gathered over so many years that it has settled and turned rock-hard. That accumulated fury is the stone in her hand. To not understand this, to fail to reach its source – or fathom its depth – is to be doomed to not understand the character of Kashmir’s troubles.

Two events will provide useful bookends for this exercise. In February 1991 there was an assault on Kunan Poshpora village in North Kashmir, where a unit of the Indian army was accused of raping somewhere between 23 and a hundred women. And then, a troubled 18 years later, the June 2009 rape and murder of two young women in Shopian, South Kashmir. In the case of Kunan Poshpora, bypassing a judicial inquiry, the government called in the Press Council of India to whitewash the incident, allowing its inadequate and ill equipped two-member team to summarily conclude that the charges against the army were “a massive hoax orchestrated by militant groups and their sympathisers and mentors in Kashmir and abroad”.

The travesty of the investigations into last year’s Shopian incident involved innumerable bungled procedures and threw up many glaring contradictions till the government of India roped in the Central Bureau of Investigation to put a lid on it. They promptly concluded that it was a case of death by drowning. (In a stream with less than a foot of water.) The case remains stuck in an extraordinary place: charges have been filed against the doctors who performed the post-mortems, against the lawyers who filed cases against the state, against everybody except a possible suspect for the rape and murder, or the many officials who had visibly botched up the investigations.

In the absence of justice, the space between Kunan Poshpora and Shopian can only be filled with the stories of nearly 7,000 people gone missing, of the 60,000 killed and the several-hundred-thousand injured and maimed and tortured and psychologically damaged. The men of this society took the brunt of this brutalisation. What of the price paid by the women? It is when we begin to come to terms with their decades-long accretion of grief and sorrow, of fear and shame, that we will begin to understand the anger of that woman with the stone in her hand.

The current round of protests will probably die down soon. The mandarins of New Delhi will heave a sigh of relief, tell us that everything is normal and turn their attentions to something else. But only their hubris could blind them from noticing what we have all seen this summer in Kashmir. This is not ordinary anger. It is an incandescent fury that effaces fear. That should worry those who seek to control Kashmir. 

 This article was published in The Times of India on August 8, 2010; http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Archived from Communalism Combat. July-August 2010, Anniversary Issue (17th).Year 17, No.153 – Cover Story 2

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