April-June 2013 - Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies

April-June 28
Commentary
Kashmir: Protests and the Return of the Fidayeen
Zainab Akhter
Research Officer, IReS, IPCS
Security was beefed up and put on high alert after the 13
March 2013 Fidayeen attack. Disguised as cricket-playing
youth, with lethal weapons hidden in their sports kits, at least
two Fidayeen unleashed a brazen attack at a CRPF camp in
Srinagar's Bemina. In a second strike ten days later, militants
attacked a BSF vehicle at Nowgam killing a border guard and
injuring two others.
Do these attacks signify the return of the Fidayeen and the
revival of armed militancy in the Valley? Has the hanging of
Afzal Guru given an impetus to violence?
The Comeback of the Fidayeen
The Bemina attack is the most audacious one in the last three
years. A curfew day was chosen to inflict maximum damage on
the security forces. The attackers had surveyed the targeted
place and chose a different modus operandi - disguised as
youth playing cricket and abruptly started firing
indiscriminately at the CRPF personals. Five army men and
two militants were shot down and two other militants fled the
scene. In the Nowgam incident militants travelling on
motorcycles fired automatic weapons at a BSF vehicle injuring
three army men. In the latest attack, a suspected militant shot
a civilian and injured a CRPF personnel in Sopore town on
Sunday.
The Fear Factor
The attacks have revived fears that militancy may return to the
Valley. The youth of the Valley took to armed rebellion for the
first time when Maqbool Bhatt (founder of JKLF) was hanged
in Tihar Jail in 1984. In between, normalcy returned to the
Valley. If the protests of this time are studied, be it in 2008 due
to the Amaranath Land row or in 2010 due to killing of youths
in the valley, it may be seen that protesters resorted to only
stones and sticks while clashing with the army.
Kashmir considers Afzal Guru as their leader of a stature close
to Maqbool Bhatt and his hanging has once again brought
back anger within the valley towards the Government of India
especially among the youth. A hospital in GMC, Srinagar and
the area near the Allama Iqbal library in Kashmir University
are named after him as Afzal Guru Hospital and Afzal Guru
Chowk respectively. He has been bestowed the title of
Shaheed-e-Watan (martyr of the nation) and at Eidgah's
Mazar-e-Shahuda (martyrs' graveyard) a grave yard for him
with gravestone inscribed with a demand for the return of
Guru's mortal remains has been put up just beside the other
empty grave of Maqbool Bhatt. The separatist fractions of the
valley have come together under the same banner to form an
association called MMM (Mutahida Majlise Mashawrat) and
their main demand from the Government of India is the return
of the mortal remains of Mohmmad Afzal Guru and Maqbool,
both buried in Tihar jail. The MMM has been instrumental in
charting out protest calendars. There are days when separate
protest calendars are being sorted out for men and women.
Militant Strikes: Why Now?
The valley of Kashmir has been on the boil since the hanging of
Afzal Guru. Protests continue in the state demanding the
return of Guru's body which is buried in the premises of Tihar
jail. The hanging of Guru has given the militants a reason to
make a comeback in the valley. Srinagar gives the militants
publicity and they are able to draw the attention of the whole
world. According to the Director General Police Ashok Prasad,
the militants were desperate to strike in Srinagar. “Militants
want to strike in Srinagar to gain publicity. Nobody comes to
know about them when they strike in a far flung area. They
want to strike in Srinagar to give an impression to people that
militancy is alive,” he said. (CNS).
Security has been beefed up in Srinagar in order to thwart any
such attacks but whether this measure can actually thwart the
said attacks is the question which lingers. While handling the
protesters on the streets, security forces are ordered not to
fire and are advised to use teargas and other less harmful
methods to disperse the crowd. In the Bemina case, too, the
army was caught unarmed and the attack took them by
surprise.
These attacks have reignited the debate of revocation of the
AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act). Looking at the fast
deteriorating security situation in Kashmir, one can say that
AFSPA is here to stay for the time being or it may even be
strengthened to meet up the security demands. Amid the
protest calendars, life in Kashmir has come to a halt and the
public has to face its brunt. It would be tragic if, in their
frustration with the failures of the government, the youth
were again to pick up arms. All that can be hoped for is that
good sense will prevail and violent methods will be
abandoned. If not it is predicted that this time the armed
rebellion will be deadly.