Page 42 - 15MAY2019E

OpiniOn
dilemmas
HumrA
QurAISHI
The Delhi-based writer
and columnist’s books
include Kashmir: The
Untold Story. She co- L can be targeted rather too
authored a series of
writings with the late
Khushwant Singh and
her short stories are
part of anthologies.
The views expressed
are her own
Kashmiri students deserve
much better treatment
With communal polarisation accelerating, cases of violent attacks
against Kashmiris have increased. To make the situation worse, there
is no platform or forum from where they can even lodge a complaint
ast fortnight’s news reports of should come forward and avail them…
a Bengaluru-based Kash- This documentary focused on the sheer
miri model thrashed by local harassment and humiliation this young
goons, once again focused on Kashmiri man goes through after he
this grim reality: Kashmiris leaves the Valley. He does not even get a
room on rent in New Delhi!”
blatantly. After all, stands out the fact that Needless for me to say that with
for several years Kashmiris travelling communal polarization accelerating in
to the different cities and towns of the the county, there have been many more
country do face severe hurdles. cases of violent attacks. Kashmiri stu-
They face problems in getting school dents get thrashed by the goon brigades.
and college level admissions and also on To compound the gravity cum tragedy
the housing front. Not to overlook the there is no platform or forums from
fact that communally slanted taunts are where harassed Kashmiris can even
thrown at them. One news report after lodge a complaint. There are no helpline
another of Kashmiri students attacked numbers. It is not just lack of transparen-
along the various alibis- the beef alibi, the cy and accountability but an abundance
latest one! of communal slants that compound the
In 2002, Peoples Union for Demo- situation.
cratic Rights (PUDR) had brought out a Though a large number of Kashmiri
booklet, detailing the sheer ill- treatment students study in the universities and
meted out to the Kashmiris venturing out colleges of this country but they try and
of the Valley….I do wish political rulers keep to themselves. When I was a Visit-
of the day, especially the ‘chowkidars’ of ing Professor at the New Delhi situated
the country read details to these ground Jamia Millia Islamia and later during my
realities. And then either reach out to the travels to Aligarh, I’d spoken to Kashmiri
targeted Kashmiris or stop lacing their students studying in these two universi-
political speeches with bogus and false ties - the Aligarh Muslim University and
promises! Jamia Millia Islamia — and asked them
In fact, in 2004, Professor Nasir Mirza the crucial ‘why’ they kept to themselves,
of the Media Education Research Centre confined to their own groups.
(MERC) of the University of Kashmir, had They detailed two basic reasons — “the
detailed that students at the Mass Com- locals are not very comfortable with us
munication Research Centre of the Jamia getting friendly with them …probably
Millia Islamia, New Delhi, were asked because they do realize that the police
to make a documentary on any topic of keeps a watch on us — where we eat or
their choice. where we go or where we stay … we are
“They made a documentary film titled aware of this constant police watch on
— Kaash, focusing on a young Kashmiri us.” Their second reason was this, “only
who decides to travel to New Delhi after we Kashmiris can understand each oth-
hearing a former Prime Minister’s an- er’s problems … none of the non-Kashmiri
nouncement that there were opportu- students from here have ever visited the
nities for the Kashmiri youth and they Valley, so they can’t comprehend what
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