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| Under the stars and searchlights of Doda… | | |
Manisha Sobhrajani
Nothing unites Hindus and Muslims as Kishore Kumar does. And nowhere is this lowest common denominator as apparent as in the Doda district of Jammu & Kashmir. Buses and taxis, shops, and even some humble eating joints in this part of the Chenab Valley play Kishore da’s unforgettable numbers, and are joined in by enthusiastic locals.
Doda, known to the world as the “hotbed of militancy in Kashmir”, has always boasted of communal harmony, and rightly so. There are villages in the district which have a 100 per cent Hindu population, and these families have been living in Doda since ages. A village called Arnora has only Rajputs, and they are believed to be descendants of the Rajput rulers. Another village, Bhadroon, has a complete Dalit population. Several villages like Kalihand, Bhabnor, Shiva, Dashnan and many more have a mixed population of Hindus and Muslims, living together amicably.
However, Hindu-Muslim relations in Doda have become somewhat strained in the wake of the Kulhand massacre in which 19 Hindus were brutally killed, and 10 severely injured by unidentified gunmen on April 30, 2006.
When the government advocated Village Defense Committees (VDCs) in early 1990s to combat terrorism, Kulhand also formed its VDCs. But the elders of the village (both Hindus and Muslims) decided they trusted each other and didn’t really need any defense committees. So they formed Aman (peace) Committees instead. From 1995 to 2006, there were no VDCs. However, after the massacre, the government has provided 116 guns to the Hindus in Kulhand for self-defense. This has further upset the Hindu-Muslim equilibrium in Doda.
Most people here are peace-loving, and share the joys and sorrows of their neighbours, or, as they call them – humsaaya. In Ghat village of Doda, militants once forcibly took away a young Hindu boy. The Muslims got together and brought him back to the village, saying they will not allow such a thing to happen while they are alive. Also, some militant organizations are known to arrange weddings for Hindu girls. There are numerous such incidents of camaraderie in Doda.
Every year, Doda hosts a Dangal or a wrestling match. People from all over Jammu & Kashmir come here to watch it. Also, during the Navratras, Ramlilas are held in every village and are watched and enjoyed by people of both communities. Similarly, during Eid, the Muslims organise Eid-milan to which all Hindus are invited, and told about the preachings of Islam. Events like these are possible only when there is communal harmony, explained a local.
“Hindus in Doda have a lot of knowledge about Islam, and Muslims in Doda are aware of the preachings of Hinduism,” the chief priest of the local mosque in Ghat village said. “And issues like untouchability, which are common elsewhere, are not present in Doda. People here have not received too much exposure, western concepts have yet to reach us, and so life is simple and uncomplicated. The problem begins when people with vested interests and political agendas use this simplicity to their advantage and speak ill about one community to another. Until now, Doda was far removed from such complex issues, but one can sense some tension in the air after the Kulhand massacre.”
One realises after visiting Doda that only when communities live in isolation do relations get strained because of prejudices, lack of communication and misunderstandings. But in Doda, Hindus live on rent in Muslim houses, and vice versa. There are fights between Hindus and Hindus, and Muslims and Muslims, but rarely between Hindus and Muslims. Inter-dependence plays a crucial role here. In a mountainous region, where villages are far-flung, communication with the outside world is limited and Hindus and Muslims share a hereditary relationship of togetherness, there is perhaps no choice but to live in harmony.
But this relative communal harmony prevails under the constant gaze of the gun — both of the militants and the security forces. While militants lurk in apple orchards and inaccessible forests, the security forces guard each hill-top, watching this sleepy town day and night.
There have been recent reports, and quite disturbing ones, of women militants in Jammu & Kashmir. The Chief of Army Gen. Deepak Kapoor has been hinting at it for some time now. Recently, on April 18, 2009, security personnel gunned down 3 LeT militants, one of them being a woman, named Zahida. The encounter between the militants and security personnel took place in the Dori Bagla village of Doda.
Dilshada, the second woman overground worker for militants, was also killed in the Doda district, again in April 2009. She was killed in an encounter in which a Hizbul militant, a jawan and a policeman were also killed.
With two women overground workers for militants killed one after the other in Doda, it is clear that more and more women are getting involved in terrorist activities in Jammu & Kashmir. This is, very clearly, a worrying trend not just for the security forces, but for the general ethos of Kashmiriyat!
Sitting on a hillock, one is witness to the night sky in Doda being flooded with millions of stars. And down in the valley and on far away mountains, lights from scattered villages makes one feel like one is wrapped in a blanket of stars.
This heavenly spectacle is punctured every few minutes with the long, swaying and blinding army searchlight as it pries into every nook and corner of Doda, into the drawing rooms and bedrooms of its residents — every few minutes.
(Manisha Sobhrajani is a Delhi-based independent researcher working on the various aspects of the Kashmir conflict. She can be reached at [email protected])
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