From the second day of Eid the entire valley is under strictest ever curfew with very brief relaxation periods. It has been a siege without end. According to some reports out of a total closure of last over 100 days, 65 have been strictly enforced curfew days. There is a tug of war between the two sides for supremacy over the common people which has forced the public to face a double jeopardy! In the initial stages there were shut downs following innocent killings during peaceful protests which often turned into stone pelting episodes because of the refusal of authorities to allow these. They would invariably disperse these gatherings by using force and sometimes excessive and lethal. After every fatal casualty in police firing on demonstrators, there would be a shut down.

However, instead of off and on unannounced shut downs, the protesting side decided to issue weekly and subsequently 10-day calendars. These would specify the open dates and closed dates. These would also announce the days for marches to various spots like Lal Chowk, Eidgah, UN Office and so on. Government as a routine would impose strict curfew on the days of marches and would scuttle these. Usually there were two days open every week. People somehow got used to these advance calendars and adjusted their chores accordingly. Even Schools would remain open on these two days or so. Most often the Sunday would be treated as an open day and banks remained open on Sundays also. In fact, it reported that one of the reasons which forced ouster of the Chairman, J & K Bank was his directive to keep bank branches open on Sundays.

The issue of protest calendars was more or less to take hold of the unorganised and spontaneous upsurge throughout the valley. The organisations involved in the struggle for “Azadi” had got a shot in the arm by the massive upsurge of angry youth in the entire valley. Keeping in view the ceaseless endeavour of the youth to go in for an indefinite strike and protests, the traditional leaders allowed themselves to be led instead of leading by giving a practical and a workable programme. In any case, in spite of tremendous hardships and suffering the masses continued to follow the directives given in the weekly Calendars. These events were extensively covered in the electronic as ell as print media.

People were always waiting eagerly for the next Calendar. This created an impression that the local government had ceased to exist and it was only Geelani’s writ which ran all over the valley. This happening was debated and commented upon by various people throughout the country. Every time Delhi issued a statement, the crux was that the local government needs to restore peace. It was supposed to be the prime responsibility of the state government and the Centre could only extend assistance. Unfortunately, the wise men of the state administration seem to have concluded that the best way to restore peace was to scuttle the Calendars issued by Geelani! To begin with, they imposed the toughest curfew on the days which were designated as open days in the said Calendar. This was done in spite of the fact that there were no significant incidents prior to this phase of curfew. The only purpose appeared to be to counter the Calendar and show that it was the writ of the government which ran throughout the valley.

If a state behaves in the same way as the non-state actors, the only result is untold suffering and misery for the citizens. The whole exercise appears as a collective punishment. The perpetrators of this “bend the people” plan seem to derive sadistic pleasure from the discomfort faced by them. The attitude of the security forces and the local police has suddenly become tough and harsh. This is in contrast to repeated appeals of restraint issued to them by a person no less than the Prime Minister. Instead of forcing the people to give up Geelani, it is creating extreme resentment both against the local government and Delhi. People cannot understand why the government is collectively punishing them when the organisers of the agitation are relenting to give the common man a breather?

Not only is the alienation increasing in geometric proportion but the hatred against the local authorities especially those responsible for the maintenance of law and order is growing fast. Sometime back the people had started getting somewhat tired about continuous shut downs and these feelings had been aired in public. People had been suggesting to agitators to allow the schools to open as education had suffered. There was a possibility of shut down days also being reduced on popular demand. One would have thought the government would take a cue and promote this line of thinking to reduce suffering of the common people. However, they have chosen to do the reverse probably under the impression that more curbs will force both the agitators and common people to buckle under. This may prove to be a gross miscalculation? In these circumstances the entire exercise of sending an all parties team and their visits to hospitals etc. seem only to hoodwink the local people and the public opinion in India. It appears some sort of a strategy to buy time and tire out the people.

However, the things have changed in last two decades of turmoil. The children of conflict who in real terms are both the motivators and participants of the agitation seem to be least bothered by these oppressive measures. They have seen the worst of oppression and have grown up in a bloody conflict involving killings on both sides. The way the things are moving there does not appear any chance of respite for the people. It is time for all the sides to give a serious thought to these happenings. There is urgent need for authorities both in Srinagar and Delhi to take immediate steps to alleviate the sufferings and not test the patience of the people. In the alternative there is every chance of the patience boiling over with a vengeance! There is a saying, “Beware of the fury of a patient man!” When it tips over, it sweeps away everything in its path!