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POLITICS

un — nerving, reminding one how the Activist Sadaf Jafar on a daily basis. They cannot even
cops together with the security forces cry out even if raped or molested or
do it all too often in the Kashmir Valley. details how a particular abused.
I have been a witness to the levels of male police officer in ♦ ♦ ♦
cops’ brutality on Kashmiri men and Leaving you with this thought bother-
women and even children. Yes, on the Lucknow pulled her ing me, so thought let me share it with
roads and lanes and by lanes. by hair, kicked and you- With the four rape accused in the
I have also been subjected to the Nirbhaya case, set to be hanged soon
cops’ violent ways, also subjected to punched her in the I have been thinking aloud — Is it fair
those sickeningly crude and humili- abdomen and went on to hang these four? There are rapist
ating levels of security frisks. Space mantris and santris and swamis and
constraints will let me not detail all of doing so till she started babas yet they go about alive and kick-
them but let me write about one such bleeding. And this ing! They are much too powerful and
experience - much too manipulative and wicked
An over enthusiastic policewoman is just one example and deceitful to be touched, let alone
posted at a check post at the Srinagar of the many get hanged to death.
Airport, touched my body as thor- Also, what happens to molesters
oughly and roughly as she could and and rapists in the security bandobast
then just as I was about to walk on, woman passenger who was also stand- posted in the so called ‘Conflict zones …
she’d leaned and came closer and said, ing there. She was made to take off her disturbed areas’? Protected they are by
“What’s this …this long thing here … spectacles, chappals, socks, untie her those Special Acts.
something’s sticking out …in the last thin grey plait, lift her kurta, remove Also, if the State cannot give birth
hijack ...” her dupatta …in fact, towards the end of then it cannot kill. Should it hang a
“I’m having my menstrual period” I it all, she was left so nervously rattled human form! More so, if the human
whispered back. that she undid the drawstring of her form is very, very remorseful, pleading
“Madam, chottawala- the smaller shalwar and pushed it down…With her to be left alive. Can’t there be much too
one…’ arms trembling , she went on mutter- superior ways to deal with rapists. Can’t
“Terribly heavy flow…” I started ing, “This was the only place left to be these four raped -accused instead of
to explain why I was using an extra searched!” getting hanged, be made to work as la-
large sanitary napkin, but she pulled This particular incident happened bourers in the prison all the remaining
away, exclaiming ‘Ayyo!’ and let me go around 2002 at the Srinagar Airport. years of their lives. Let their alive forms
through hastily, as though I was about Years have passed by memories cannot be made to live and survive and repent
to bloody her khakis! be erased — of those rounds of humilia- and beg forgiveness. Think about it!
My plight was seemingly nothing tion and fearful apprehensions.
as compared to an elderly Kashmiri Kashmiris go through these traumas LETTERS@TEHELKA.COM

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