Author: Kumar Uttam
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: August 21, 2008
Tricolour in hand, protesters shout 'Bharat
Mata Ki Jai'
The sun is about to set on the city and the
roundabout is deserted. A youth suddenly emerges from one of the bylanes,
carrying a National Flag in his hand and shouting slogans of "Bharat
Mata Ki Jai". Soon, the solitary protest at Kacchi Chhawani Chowk in
'paralaysed' Jammu turns into a mass frenzy as hundreds join him to express
solidarity for a cause that has gone far beyond the Amarnath land row.
In fact, the Tricolour has united people in
this winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir to fight the "neglect"
they faced in the last 60 years. The controversy over allotment of a land
plot to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board was a mere flashpoint. "We raised
the Tricolour and were greeted with bullets. They (separatists) in Kashmir
hoisted Pakistan's flag and brought the Government to its knees. It will not
be allowed to continue any more," thunders Subhash Dogra, a protester.
Everyone in Jammu has suddenly turned leader,
brushing aside allegations that "communal elements" are controlling
the movement. "We are leaders in ourselves. Nobody is leading us. We
are ready to face problems today to ensure a better future for the generations,"
adds Gurpreet Singh, owner of a few taxis. Though he has been getting no business
for 50 days, he is ready to bear the losses for "many more months"
but not the humiliation at the hands of the Government.
Everyone in Jammu has just one complaint.
"Kashmir wants freedom, we love our country. They got everything, we
were left empty-handed," people living in the Mishriwalla refugee camp
on the Jammu-Akhnoor highway say.
A senior employee in the Divisional Commissioner's
office revealed more. "You don't get promotions on time if you are not
from the valley. Jammu has more population and area, but Kashmir gets better
representation in all Government bodies and organisations. Jammu contributes
the most to the State's exchequer, but Kashmir reaps the benefits. Electricity
dues are more in Kashmir, but Jammu faces power cuts," he told The Pioneer.
The Amarnath controversy has come in handy
for all those who nurse the "wound of neglect". They are in no double
minds -- the Government revoked the allotment of the land to the shrine board
for a Hindu yatra under pressure from the same separatists whom they have
been appeasing since Independence.
"We have to restore the pride of Baba
Amarnath and that of Jammu. We are not going to be defeated at the hands of
the anti-nationals. We will be on the roads until the target is achieved,"
says 80-year-old Anil Sharma, as he and his grandson Ankit raise slogan of
'Bam Bam Bhole' outside Sarwal police post in Rewari locality.
Police have lost public sympathy (they allegedly
fired at peaceful protesters and manhandled many) and the Army faces a situation
it never confronted before. "How can you expect us to fire at them or
even wield a lathi when they come with a Tricolour in their hands and shout
slogans in favour of us?" says an Armyman posted in the most sensitive
Kacchi Chhawani Chowk of Jammu.
Jammu has been simmering for the last 60 years.
It for the first time they have been heard.