Imprisoned Campuses In The Valley
Aqib Tarigami
Kashmir as we know has always been a turbulent political turf and due to lingering conflict, has always hogged limelight for all the wrong reasons. With the onset of violence in late 80’s the student politics was virtually banned in Kashmir. The reasons were quite obvious that students may become great source of resistance and revolutionary ideas.
While the national capital is busy debating freedom of speech at its premier institutions the student politics in Kashmir remained continuously unheard. The university grants commission in its guidelines, on the rights of students clearly entitles a student in any college and university “freedom of thought and expression ” within and outside an institution and the university should allow space for the free exchange of ideas and public debates to foster a culture of public reasoning and questioning.
The UGC guidelines also entitles a student to form associations and unions. However, the callous nature and hardened stand of the government of Kashmir have violated all these guidelines. The interests of students in becoming part of students politics can clearly be seen by the recent protests by students in both colleges and universities on different issues of the state. Students feel the need of an active student activism at lower as well as higher levels to raise their genuine concerns.
So, we are all aware of this fact that student engagement in political paradigm of every society is important, student groups often perform important functions in political system like mobilising and organising protests, petition or lobby for political change. There was a time when politics was associated with only middle-aged and senior citizens. But youth playing dynamic role in nation building especially in the developed societies in the world. It was the youth of France who led the freedom campaign of Algeria in the streets of Paris. In the 1960 the spread of education and the growing awareness about global events such as liberation struggle in Algeria against French, spawned a phase of student agitations
Banning Student politics by no means is an answer in a democratic society. The unions have many advantages and play a crucial role in forming policies of government in different countries. In modern democracies the representation of mass in general and the youth in particular is vital so it is necessary that every citizen should on a proper representation of democracy which vitalizes the role of student unions
A common Kashmiri students questions that when in Delhi and other states the student politics is flourishing, what hampers the practice in the state? Even the political theorists and scientists have repeatedly argued that democratic politics is not only about ritual of elections, political canvassing etc or appealing to dumb audience, but refers to dialectical environment of debate, discussion, dialogue and dissent. The intention is not only to bulldoze opposing ideas but recognizing rights of others to have different thoughts and ideologies than yours. The same should be the case for politics in universities, colleges and schools.
This is a grim reality that every government from Sadiq to Qasim, Abdullah to mufti, since decades in Kashmir have tried their best to keep educational institutions apolitical and aloof from their deceitful politics and all shades of hypocrisy. Students life has been hit by the cycles of violence and shutdowns, with classes being suspended for weeks even months. However, for a generation who grew up in the most violent phase of insurgency and militarisation in Kashmir, learning terms like “crackdown,” “banker,” curfew, hartal, encounter, torture and Kain jang (stone war) did not require formal education. Students from Kashmir expressed the fear of being arbitrary locked up under PSA public safety act like some of their friends have been. The collective traumatic memory of this generation have created a monolithic and violent caricature of India as an occupying power.
Students see their schools, colleges and universities as structures of oppression. Due to the immunity given by security forces they can enter any institutions at any time and create havoc in institution. Our thinking is preoccupied by wars, bloodshed, grief and horror all around. Just imagine a student attends school and while returning home got caught by the security forces on the pretext of stone pelting. Students are the worst suffers and it is the same people whose career lies in jeopardy. Ugly situation has brought education to standstill where there seems no signs of end to it.
The irregular system as well as constant conflict has pushed many students into depression and other mental health issues, while the rich and the powerful in the state conveniently send their children to high quality schools abroad, lower and middle class have no option but to suffer. Environment in schools, colleges and universities is not conducive. Students often feel they are in jail rather than an educational institute. This kind of pressure sometimes pushes students to pick up gun or commit suicide. In this way the essence of true knowledge remains behind dark walls.
Kashmir is known for the worlds most militarised zone. A research study conducted by working group on peace, conflict and education at Colombia university in 2013 found that 79% of the military camps were at a distance of less than 1 km of the schools examined. The presence of military camps near the schools had a negative psychological impact on students causes dropout rates. Under these challenging and difficult situations students in Kashmir struggling to find good and conducive environment for their nourishment.in this ongoing conflict students are denied the opportunity to develop necessary social and mental development that can facilitates growth. Their minds remain always preoccupied by the things they face on daily basis in everyday life. They live in a situation where keeping a personal identity card in packet may determine their survival.
This restriction on student politics in Kashmir has come at a time when role of modern student activism movement vary widely in subject, size and success. According to political pundits, presently our legislature has become hub of amusement and quarrel. No parliamentary language is followed nor there is any respect for rule of law. This adversely effects the legislative process and academics.so promotion of quality student activism is the need of the hour. The need of the hour is to promote student union politics and allow student union participation, so that situation does not turn bad to worse.
The lack of an organised platform is one of the lingual and regional and other disparities in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. An organised students activism can mobilize students not only in the valley of Kashmir but also in Chenab valley, Pir Panchal and the plains of Jammu. Students activism can bridge the gap between the mountains of Ladakh and the meadows of Kashmir, it has the potential to connect rice fields of Jammu with the distant and remote parts of Gurez.