HOW I BECAME A STONE PELTER (Story of & by a Stone Pelter)....!

I am from DownTown, Srinagar, born in 1986. I was admitted to one of the best schools of valley by my parents. As a child I had a dream to become an engineer. Whenever somebody used to ask me about my aim I would proudly say “engineer”. As I started to grow up I begun to become familiar with many words which everyone used to talk about like “aazadi” (freedom), “hartal” (strike) but I was unable to understand the meaning of these words. I loved the word “hartal” as it was holiday, so I always wished for hartal. As I grew up I came to know about “mujahids”. I used to listen to the stories of the “mujahids” of our valley. I would often ask my elders to tell me about them. They told me stories of many mujahids like “Ishaaq”, “Ishfaaq”, and “Jan Malik” etc. etc. which I liked to share with my friends.
Even I was named after a Shaheed Mujahid who was killed before a few weeks of my birth. Then Came the summer of 2007, I was passing by Nowhatta. It was the glorious month of Muharram. There was heavy stone pelting going on. I found it very interesting. I saw youth pelting stones and shouting freedom slogans. Initially I was afraid to go in front and pelt stones on Police and CRPF.
I used to think that they are some angels fighting on the front. Days passed. Now I too had gathered some guts to put a stone in my hand and pelt it on the front line. It was now 2008 I was busy with my exams. I heard about Amarnath Land Row. Things started changing very at a very fast rate. I had never seen such kind of hartals before. I had never seen such kind of stone pelting before. It was totally a brand new experience for me. Now tear gas shell wasn’t shot anymore, but bullets were fired directly. I saw many boys hit by one or few bullets and dying on the spot. I was highly disturbed by this. I asked my grandfather once, “Why they directly shoot on us?” His answer was, “Che chuk mangaan aazadi tawy” (you are asking for freedom, that’s why). This answer changed my mind. I started realizing that neither we are a part of India nor does India consider us its part.
Now I started reading history about our freedom struggle. I came to know about many things about the Kashmir struggle. And by now reading newspaper, magazines and all such stuff were of my keen interest. I started observing everything about the political system of our valley. I have wept for the whole night when I read about Gaw Kadal, Zukura, Hawal, Bijbihara, Sopore, and Kupwara massacres. I too wanted to become a mujahid. I once joked with my mother that I will become a mujahid. Her answer was so painful, “Gode di mei zahar pate ban che mujahid” (first give me poison then you become mujahid).
Came 2009 I again started to remain busy with my studies but whenever there was stone pelting in Nowhatta I used go there and pelt stones. Stone pelting for me now had become a reaction to the atrocities and the illegal occupation our land by the India. I knew I do it for a cause. Infact I was once caught by the police and was put in custody where I was beaten to the death but that also couldn’t break me. When I was released I started pelting stones once again. A policeman in the custody asked me, “Why do you pelt stones, do you think you will really get freedom by doing this?” “If it is the case then I too am ready to pelt stones”, he added. I said answering to his question, “What you said struck my mind but for me stone pelting is the only thing which makes me feel that gun or bullet cannot suppress my thoughts and my sentiments. I always feel happy whenever I pelt stones because I want to take revenge for every innocent killing. I know my stone won’t harm them but remember that it is not the stone, it is my feelings. I pelt stones because we are oppressed”.
It was June 2009, Shopian rape incident had took place. It was unbearable to about hear the rape and murder case of a girl and her sister. Tears rolled down my eyes when I read story about Asiya (one victim of the Shopian rape case) in a daily newspaper of the valley. Once again hartals and stone pelting emerged with more boys felling to bullets for protesting for justice from brutal Indian Parliamentary Troops.
I watched a press conference of Omar Abdullah on a news channel promising to bring culprits in front of people and punish them within in 24 hours. Honestly, I was happy with his promise. I saw a hope in him in bringing justice to the duo. But nothing happened instead of justice their relatives were beaten for protesting for freedom. This made me more aggressive. I wanted to take the revenge. I wanted to punish the murderers. Moreover, I claimed CM for all this because his behaviour made me much angry against India and its brutality here.
After one month of continuous strikes life was back on track. Again we started to remain busy with our daily jobs. But I always used to think about why didn’t the duo got justice. I once heard news of a 14 year old girl from Delhi who was killed by unknown person in her bedroom. But police wasn’t able to solve the case. It was then handed over to CBI who arrested the culprits in a few weeks.
But in case of Shopian rape and murder incident, CBI solved the case differently. They didn’t arrest the culprits but made a funny story of the victims that they died due to drowning into a stream whose depth was hardly upto knees. This clearly put forward the policy of India about Kashmir.
But whom could I ask these questions; why didn’t they get justice? Why they shoot us if we protest for seeking justice? These questions always used to battle in my mind. No doubt, pelting stones didn’t get answer of these questions but I was happy. I felt I am taking the revenge by pelting stones but what else I could do. Who was there to hear me? I always felt an inner satisfaction by pelting stones. I wanted to tell them that give us justice, leave our Kashmir, let us leave in peace, and let us live in a place where no mother has fear that her son may return dead. These are not stones these are my feelings.
Then came 2010, it was January when I saw Wamiq Farooq for the last time. He was a neighbour of one of my relatives residing at Rainawari, Srinagar. Wamiq was a very good boy which no one can refuse. He used to call me bhai (brother). After a few weeks it was Friday evening I heard that a boy has been martyred hit by tear gas shell but I didn’t know who it is. But unfortunate it was Wamiq. When I woke up next morning I saw a picture of the victim boy whose identity was yet to be revealed in a newspaper. After a few minutes I got a call from my cousin who said that Wamiq has been martyred. For a few minutes I totally froze up. I wasn’t able to speak. A boy hardly 13 was no more. You can understand how it feels when you hear about the death of your dear one’s.
Wamiq was like my little brother. I had never thought an innocent young boy will fell prey to bloody Indian brutality. Once again hartals and stone pelting emerged with more boys getting injured and martyred. Indian occupational forces were responding with more brutality. They are occupational forces and their cruelty and brutality is not a surprise to us but I was surprised by the role of Jammu and Kashmir Police, our local police. They were playing absurd role. One fails to understand the cause of their cruelty and brutality. Is it they want to show more loyalty to India or they are killing their brothers for money. Whatever the reason is but the way they behave with their own countrymen is painful. Maybe they have became blind because of power government has given to them. Wamiq’s death gave birth to a new powerful revolution. The revolution shook the existence of Indian rule in Kashmir. Now India started to show their military power to unarmed civilians. This is HOW I BECAME A STONE PELTER rather than an engineer....!