Case Filed Against Arundhati Roy For Kashmir Remarks

[Guest SikhSangat]

Srinagar, J&K: A complaint has been filed with the Ranchi chief judicial magistrate against renowned author and social activist Arundhati Roy for her comments on Kashmir.

Arundhati Roy has a known stand on Kashmir which differs from the official line propounded by New Delhi. Ms Roy while interacting with reporters in Ranchi on September 26 had said in her opinion she did not accept that Kashmir was ever an integral part of India.

Unflinching in her support for a free Kashmir, internationally acclaimed writer, Arundhati Roy on Sunday said that the state was never an integral part of India and urged Kashmiris to stay focused on achieving their goal of azadi.

At a seminar here on "Whither Kashmir? Freedom or Enslavement" organised by the Coalition of Civil Societies, the Booker Prize winner said that the Indian state was mimicking colonial powers in its policy of divide and rule, and had launched a protracted war in Kashmir.

An outspoken critic of corporate narratives of events and issues, Roy said that India was a cage in which millions of people of different nationalities were held against their will.

"I believe Kashmir is not an integral part of India. It is a historical fact," Roy said, hailing stone-pelting youth "for taking the Kashmir movement to a decisive phase."

She said that the events of the past four months had changed the opinion in India.

"The people of India are now showing a willingness to talk Kashmir," she said. "This, in my opinion, is the greatest achievement of the past four months."

"Resistance is a beautiful thing. It is high time for Kashmiris to set goals for Azadi and steer the movement," she said.

"Your struggle has raised the consciousness about the Kashmir dispute and the oppression you face. But you must decide what type of society you have in mind once you are allowed to decide your future," she said.

"Kashmiris will have to make a choice whether or not they want Indian oppression to be replaced by a future corporate oppression," she said.

"After attaining freedom from the British, India itself has become a colonial power. It has left the legacy of partition in the shape of Kashmir. India opened the locks of two issues including Babri Masjid and tried to give it Islamist colour to act like the victim," she said.

Elaborating she said imperial colonialism is fast being replaced by corporate colonialism.

"India hides behind the facade of democracy but the country's Prime Minister (Dr Manmohan Singh) has not been ever elected," she said. Asking people to find new ways of struggle, she said: "Question occupier must ask itself is whether it is progressing or it is moving ahead in short circuits. You have to see what are the possibilities of retaining the goal. You have to see whether you want people to join police and CRPF."

Roy who has been vociferously advocating the cause of Kashmiris and other minorities in India minced no words in accusing New Delhi of waging war against minorities. "In Nagaland, the troopers have been targeting Adivasis, in Telangana Dalits and in Punjab, they target Sikhs. India is an upper caste Hindu state that is certainly at war with minorities. It has waged a protracted war in Nagaland and Kashmir to force inclusion of people into its system," she said.

Roy stated that Kashmiris recruited in the army and paramilitary forces are being used to suppress the voices of dissent in the Northeast and other states. "I was heart broken when I saw Kashmiri BSF personnel in Dantewada. Mothers in Nagaland recalled their kins who were posted in army and other security agencies. I urge Kashmiris to ensure that they are not used to as tools of suppression," she said.

Hailing the role of Kashmiri women in the ongoing movement, Roy asked them to contribute to the struggle in one way or the other. "Kashmiris have been breathing and inhaling through the barrel of AK 47."

Earlier, speaking at the seminar, noted human rights activist, Gautam Navlakha, said that Azadi was not round the corner, but that the Kashmiris should struggle more.

He said that the struggle had been kept alive despite setbacks and oppression like killings, arrests and rapes. "The ground is ready. The opportunity is in your hands. Move ahead," he said, claiming that the appointment of interlocutors and committees would not do any good.

"Unions are banned in the Kashmir University. Debates, exhibitions and seminars are not allowed in colleges. Why can't students here make charts and portraits and display them in schools?" he asked.

"Curse on you if you demand azadi while sitting at home. I am not denouncing Facebook, but you must come out. You have suffered a lot, now carry it forward. You have weapons in your hand. Use them," he said.

Source: KashmirObserver.net