The ongoing Kashmir uprising impacted the Chenab Valley and Pir Panchal regions in Jammu province too and the killing of young Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8—which set Kashmir on fire—made people in these regions feel the pain of Kashmiris.
The reports of rights violation in Kashmir and civilian killings by forces triggered a spontaneous reaction in all major towns of erstwhile Doda district where people staged series of protests and observed shutdowns to express solidarity with Kashmiris.
In July, when the uprising started, people of Chenab Valley didn’t respond much to the volatile situation in Kashmir but the uprising started spreading in August with shutdowns being observed in Kishtwar, Doda, Banihal, Bhaderwah, Gandoh and Thathri townships. Protests against civilian killings in Kashmir took place in Doda, Kishtwar and Banihal, with people raising pro-freedom slogans on August 5—almost after a decade.
The district Doda, which was officially declared militancy-free by the state administration in 2011 and where there was hardly any anti-India protests for nearly a decade, suddenly erupted with pro-freedom sloganeering and people from majority community hit the streets echoing the voice of Kashmiris. After a series of peaceful shutdowns, violent protests took place in Doda town on August 12 against the civilian killings in Kashmir. Many including half a dozen police officers were injured in the clashes that broke out. At least seven police officers and a Magistrate were among 12 persons who sustained injuries in the clashes. The local Markazi Seerat Committee called for a three-day shutdown against police action.
After the Doda incident, police started raiding and arresting youth and also invoked Public Safety Act (PSA) against some of them. On August 7, four persons were arrested by the police in Doda town. On August 14, the district authorities booked a 19-year-old medical student under PSA in Doda for protesting against the killings in Kashmir. Rehmutallah, son of Abdur Rashid of Bhata Dessa was reportedly coming out from Jama Masjid when he was dragged out and bundled into a police vehicle.
The arrests and police crackdown led to situation turning volatile in Chenab Valley. On August 26, Doda Police arrested a social worker, advocate Baber-ul-Islam and booked him under PSA allegedly at the behest of RSS-backed politicians. Following the arrest of the young lawyer, a complete shutdown was observed in Doda, Bhaderwah and Banihal on the joint call given by religious organizations and Bar associations.
On September 25, while the resistance camp called for a few hours of relaxation in the shutdown in Kashmir, curfew was imposed in Kishtwar after clashes erupted following arrest of three persons, including an Imam of a Jamia Masjid, for allegedly disturbing law and order.
In August and September months, major towns of Chenab Valley, including Bhaderwah, Kishtwar, Doda, Gandoh, Thathri and highway town Banihal observed shutdown for nearly 15 days on the call given by Anjuman-e-Islamia Bhaderwah, Markazi Seerat Committee Doda, Anjuman-e-Islamia Gandoh, Seerat Committee Thathri and Majlis-e-Shoura Kishtwar.
Traffic also remain disrupted on Srinagar-Jammu highway for several days at a stretch due to volatile situation in Banihal town.
Pertinently, on July 9, the state government banned mobile internet service in entire J&K which were restored after 17 days in Jammu province (on July 26). 10 days later, the internet facility was suspended again on August 5 in view of the mounting tension in Chenab Valley region where people observed partial to total bandh to express their solidarity with the people of Kashmir.
However, on August 13, mobile internet services were restored in five districts of Jammu province but in Chenab Valley and Pir Panchal, the restrictions continued along with Kashmir.
According to analysts, perhaps this is for the first time in last two decades that people in such huge numbers including those having affiliation with mainstream political parties have come openly in support of the Kashmir cause and agitating Kashmiri people.
“How is it possible that Kashmir will keep on burning and Chenab Valley or for that matter, Pir Panchal, will remain unaffected? We stand for the Kashmir cause and by the side of our Kashmiri brethren since we are different parts of the same body. It is obvious that if one part gets injured, the complete body feels the pain. So the reaction in Chenab Valley and Pir Panchal is quite natural,” said J&K’s former Home Minister and Chairman of Markazi Seerat Committee Doda, Khalid Najeeb Suhrawardy. “Kashmir is neither an integral part nor someone’s lifeline or crown. It is an issue which needs to be resolved. If they really consider Kashmir an integral part, why don’t they feel the pain of Kashmiri people?”
He said both India and Pakistan consider Kashmir as a “football ground.”
Of late, students of Chenab Valley are also feeling the pain of Kashmiris and have started hitting the streets against rights violations in the Valley. Recently students of Post Graduate College Bhadarwah came out of their classes to lodge a protest and raise their voice against the killing of students in Kashmir.
