While addressing a seminar, when the former Secretary General of the Jammu Kashmir High Court Bar Association evoked ridicule when he said Kashmiris had a short memory.
Giving details about probes ordered by the government of India and the Jammu and Kashmir government over the past seven decades, he said probes are ordered to quell public anger and to bail out the perpetrators.
“The government knows the people have a short memory and in this neglected land priorities change every day. A particular incident that evokes massive protests today becomes less important tomorrow and with the passage of time people forget it, he said.
Curiously the human rights defenders substantiate his claim and so do the history books. The theft of holy relic from Hazratbal shrine on December 27, 1963 caused a stir in the entire sub-continent. Some arrests were effected, an intelligence officer was rushed from New Delhi, the relic was recovered and identified but the culprits were never brought to justice.
Noted historian, Shabnam Qayoom sees Bakshi Rashid’s hand in the theft. According to him, Nehru’s Kamraj Plan saw the end of Bakshi regime. “A less known person Shamas-ud-Din was installed as Prime Minister of the state. Bakshi Rashid who was active and well known in National Conference felt insulted and vowed to avenge the humiliation.”
Qayoom further says: “The holy relic was recovered when Bakshi Rashid led the investigating team to a house boat at Miskeen Bagh. He was hand cuffed. During interrogation he said he had stolen the relic on the directions of Pandit Nehru.” This perhaps is the reason behind concealing the names of the culprits
People from all walks of life came together and formed an action committee for recovery of the holy relic. For the first time Kashmiris rose above petty considerations, forged unity and fought unitedly , a senior National Conference activist said.
A few persons were arrested. An agricultural assistant identified as Abdul Rashid of Tral after hearing about the theft went to Hazratbal shrine where he was taken into custody. On January 30, 1964 Lal Bahadur Shastri came to Srinagar and met a number of persons including Bakshi Ghulam Muhammad, Moulana Farooq and Sheikh Farooq. On February 3, Moulana Masoodi, Moulana Farooq, Syed Meerak Shah were taken to Hazratbal. Noor-ud-Din Banday came out with a box from the shrine. The relic was identified. Veteran journalist, Late Sonaullah Bhat has questioned the mode of identification in his book Kashmir: 47 to 77.
Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru had lost all hope. According to him Kashmir had been lost. When his intelligence officer, BN Mullick phoned him about the recovery of the relic, he said: “You have saved Kashmir for India.” The intelligence officer says in his book My days with Nehru: “It was an intelligence operation never to be made public.”
On February 12, the then Home Minister, Gulzari Lal Nanda said on the floor of the parliament that the investigation would take a week to complete. “The culprits shall be identified and brought to justice.” The outcome of the investigation has not been made public to this day.
On February 11, 1975 Peoples League activist, GN Bulla was arrested from Sopore while pasting posters urging the people to make Z A Bhutto’s strike call a success. Bhutto had called for general strike in Kashmir to protest against the infamous Indra-Abdullah accord.
Bulla’s colleague and distant relative, Ghulam Hassan alias Kranti was also taken into custody. Kranti told the police about Bulla’s ailment and urged the police officer to give him medicare. His request was ignored and Bulla, an eclipsy patient suffered a stroke. No medicines were given. Instead he was brutally tortured and later shifted to Central jail. On February 15, he passed away.
He was buried around midnight at Sopore. Only a few persons from the family were allowed to participate in the funeral.
The death did not go un-noticed. People registered strong protest. A probe was ordered. The then SDM was directed to complete the probe within a stipulated time. The police, according to Bulla’s relatives restrained people from appearing before the commission. The findings of the commission have not been made public till date. The family rejected the compensation awarded by the SDM.
And the sordid tale continues to this day. Authorities continue to order probe and people continue to forget about them.
According to information furnished by Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Societies (JKCCS), more than 130 probes have been ordered since 1996 into massacres and human rights abuses. “The probes, however, have not yielded anything. In fact, the number of probes has been directly proportional to the rights abuses. More probes more abuses,” a spokesman of the JKCCS said.
An in-depth study of Dr Farooq’s regime reveals that 40 probes were ordered by his government but nobody was brought to justice.
Following the massacre of 35 Sikhs at Chittisinghpora, the police claimed killing of five `foreign’ militants involved in the massacre at Panchatalan in Anantnag district. The DNA samples of the slain youth were taken to ascertain their identity when the people contested the police claims. The reports were fudged.
The leak of fudging created uproar in the Valley. Dr Farooq responded by making a suo motto statement in the Legislative Assembly. He said Justice G A Kuchey will hold inquiry into the matter and submit his report within two months. "We will convene a special session of the House and place that probe report before the members," he added. Neither was the special session of the legislature convened nor were the findings made public.
Another tragic incident that took place in his regime was the killing of two Dutch nationals. The duo was killed in Srinagar by the BSF when they argued with them. The irresponsible electronic media linked the slain Dutch nationals to Al-Qaeda. As usual a probe was ordered and till this day the Dutch government is waiting for the findings of the probe.
The trend continued in the PDP-Congress coalition regime. According to official data, 71 probes were ordered by the coalition government since November 2002 to August 2008. The officials said reports had been received in 29 cases and action taken against violators in 15 cases. In the remaining 14 cases, no action had been recommended by the authorities concerned. But according to independent sources action was taken in just six cases.
A total of 43 Judicial/Magisterial/ Administrative probes were ordered during Mufti Sayed’s 3-year rule. Action was taken in 4 cases. However, the action taken against the guilty surprised and shocked the people. The guilty officers were reinstated.
Twenty-eight probes were ordered by Ghulam Nabi Azad’s government. Action was taken in 2 cases. One was stayed by a court.
Similarly six probes were ordered by NN Vohra. Nothing came out.
Former Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah also ordered scores of probes. In the important Shopian probe, the government was once again found guilty of fudging a forensic report. The victims are awaiting justice.
The Machil encounter which evoked massive reaction from the masses was probed but the probed did not help the relatives of the slain youth to get justice.
Zahida Banoo mother of 19 years old Mohammad Shafi Lone son of Abdul Rashid, Naseema Bano mother of Reyaz Ahmed Lone and Aisha mother of Shahzad Khan demanded that probe should be immediately completed and killers should be hanged.
Pertinently some officers and members of a premier security agency and two civilians Basharat Lone and Abdul Hamid Bhat have already been charged under sections 302 (murder), 364(abduction), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (common intent) of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC) for allegedly conspiring and kidnapping three youths from Sopore on the pretext of giving them jobs and later killing them in the higher reaches of Kupwara claiming they were terrorists.
The story does not end here. The government continues to order probes and the people continue to forget them. The truth shall continue to remain concealed.