If anyone has recently used the traditional description of the Valley of Kashmir as 'heaven on earth', he or she is obviously far removed from reality. Despite the fact that this area has been commonly referred to as India's 'crown', what has transpired since January 2010 has shocked even the locals, long used to violence and impunity. Since the beginning of the year, the Valley has witnessed a targeting of teenagers by security personnel, which has led to the deaths of at least 16 people. Even schoolchildren have been shot dead in the streets during protests. Eleven youths were killed during June alone, with the death toll growing in July. This is indicative of the extent to which the militarisation of the Valley has impacted normal life. Despite the lack of a visible insurgency, the military apparatus continues its vicious streak. Because the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) not equipped to deal with civilians – as stated by no less an authority than E N Rammohan, former inspector-general of Kashmir – the repercussions of the heavy presence of military and paramilitary forces are being felt across the Valley.
On 8 January, 16-year-old Inayat Khan became the first victim of the military crackdown. Khan had just passed his secondary school certificate (SSC) exams with excellent marks, and was on his way to class in Srinagar when he was shot by CRPF personnel. At his funeral, chants of 'Inayat, tere khoon se inquilab ayega!' (Inayat, your blood will bring revolution) reverberated in the air. Little did the mourners know that this was to be the first of many such funerals in the coming months. Yet in one way, the funeral incantations were prescient: the killings have increased the sense of both helplessness and rage felt by much of the local population towards the security forces – seen by many as occupiers. This anger has led more and more onto the streets to demand justice for the dead – demands backed by the commoner's weapon of choice, stones. Protests thus snowballed, with bitter, stone-pelting mobs thronging the roads.
The killing continued, however. On 31 January, Wamiq Farooq (13) was shot at the Gani Memorial Stadium in downtown Srinagar, where he was playing cricket. While chasing protesters, the police entered the stadium and fired a teargas shell that hit Farooq at close range, killing him instantly. Though the concerned assistant sub-inspector of police (whose identity has been withheld by the government) was subsequently suspended – 'for not having taken adequate precautions while firing a tear smoke shell towards protesters' – the police force subsequently took a complete U-turn, dubbing Wamiq 'a miscreant who attempted to murder a policeman' in a report filed in court on 20 February. On 5 February, Zahid Farooq (16) was killed by a Border Security Force (BSF) patrol not far from his residence on the outskirts of Srinagar. Though the BSF initially denied any role in the killing, it later suspended two individuals, BSF Commandant R K Birdi and Constable Lakhwinder Singh, for the teenager's death. Both of the accused are currently on trial.
As the pace of the killings picked up, so too did the need to downplay the incidents. On 13 April, Zubair Ahmed Bhat (17) – a student from Sopore who worked in Srinagar as a part-time labourer – was lounging on the banks of the Jhelum River with his friends. Suddenly, a group of paramilitary personnel, in an as-yet unexplained act, rushed upon them and forced the entire group to jump into the river. While most could swim, Zubair struggled. Some boatmen passing by attempted to rescue him, but the troops fired teargas shells at them, and Zubair eventually drowned. The police simply closed the file, labelling it 'an accident' and wilfully ignoring the eyewitness accounts. Troops have even fired on the funerals of victims of atrocities, where friends and relatives have been demanding justice, with close relatives of the deceased being killed in the process. As the violence has spiralled over the past six months, just as locals have begun to mourn a death, news of yet another reaches them.