With Zahid Rasool India’s Plurality And Diversity Also Died

By Yasir Altaf Zargar

27 October, 2015
Countercurrents.org

The funeral procession of Zahid Rasool Photograph: Umar Ganie

Delhi, Haryana, Mumbai, Punjab, Shimla and now Jammu and Kashmir---places only changed but the dead remained the same---the dead who belongs to the minority of a country where Cow became more precious than a man. It may sound hilarious but true it happened inside India at several places. For Cow slaughter more than 3 had been lynched to death just over the rumours ----either they had consumed beef or had taken part in cow slaughter. Earlier it was Mohammad Akhlaque of Dadri, U.P. who was beaten to death by a mob, allegedly over rumours that he had eaten beef, then Noman was beaten in Himachal Pradesh over the rumours that he had been carrying cow from one place to another, lastly it ended with Zahid of Kashmir, who was attacked by goons with a petrol bomb. It was not just a Hindutva mob killing Muslims; but an anti-national mob attacking India’s plurality, diversity and inclusiveness.

On one side the democratic nation grants a person right to follow any religion and the same make seditious laws prohibiting a person right to practice anything. Meanwhile every person has the right to practice their faith as they choose, or no faith at all without fear or discriminations declared by Article 25 of Indian Constitution. The fundamental right gives a person right to freedom to practice anything like what to eat and what not to eat, but a few fringe organisations do not agree with the constitution and they pass their own laws making Cow more important than a man. Notwithstanding with the fact that India is a diverse nation – religious pluralism is the basic backbone of this nation – but unfortunately these fringe organisations overlook this fact and try their best to divide the nation on the basis of caste, creed and colour.

Prime minister of India Narendra Modi seems busy campaigning about Digital India---which in fact is meant for connecting each and every person belong to any religion to internet, indeed that mean whole nation will remain in contact with each other, but on other side the racism continues, people seems to be Bolshevik which makes sense that the extremism is at peak. This clearly insinuates that bifurcation is also at peak. The whole nation is divided and Cow became its main reason.

A few days before Zahid Rasool of class X along with his brother Mohammad Ashraf Bhat, a truck conductor and Rameez Ahmad, a truck Driver had some work in Delhi. Zahid had insisted his brother for it. Ha agreed and took Zahid along with him to Delhi. There was a rumour at udhampur that cow had been slaughtered by some muslims which made some extremist hindus angry over it. After returning back they were stopped at Udhampur by some RSS goons who hurled petrol bomb. The only crime they had done that they were from Kashmir where beef is being consumed every day. The RSS goons shouted “ya augarwadi ha “these are terrorists”, ya log desh drohi ha “these people are traitors”, “ya log Pakistani ha” these are Pakistani’s”, humay inko marna chaheya “we should kill them”. The mob followed the instructions, hurled petrol bomb on them in which two people were injured. Zahid succumbed to his injuries at safdar hospital after few days. Zahid was the first member of his family, including his father, mother, three brothers and three sisters, to go to high school. Trips such as these when school was open were rare. For the trip he became the victim of the unrest which started just for an animal. Zahid's urge to see India cost him his life.

Zahid didn’t return back on his own but was carried back in a box handled by many people. Wails and cries were in the air when his coffin reached home. Hundreds joined his funeral. Amid tears and cries, everyone around at the funeral prayers of Zahid was numb, full of grief and sorrow. It was indeed a dooms day for the whole of Kashmir. Following the news of Zahid’s death, local youth clashed with police and paramilitary CRPF men. During the clashes, police used pepper grenades to quell the protests and one of the grenades landed in the courtyard of Zahid’s house. As smoke of the grenade made everybody momentarily blind and writhe with pain, the mourners ran to fetch water to ease the pain. “They don’t even let us mourn in peace, may they rot in hell,” the women cried out in unison.

For the past week, Botengo had been tense but calm. It was indeed thanks to the father of Zahid. When the youth came out on streets following the October 9 attack that left Zahid Ahmad struggling for life, the 70-year-old farmer, father of zahid had gone to the local mosque and made an announcement urging for peace. “We should not harm anyone,” he said. “My son needs your prayers.”

That restraint was shattered Sunday as news came that Zahid, 20, had succumbed to his injuries. “I have lost everything,” cries Ghulam Rasool, waiting for Zahid’s body to reach from Delhi. “I have lost the light of my eyes.”

Outside, protesters, now refusing to be held back, have been clashing with police since news came of Zahid’s death. The main highway became a battle ground for protesters. “It is enough now,” says a masked protester. “This government has a Hindutva agenda and we will not take it silently.”

It is believed that the Father of zahid rejected the compensation given by the state government, offered twice the amount back. “The fact is that the DC sahib called me to his office. He put something in my hand. When I checked, it was Rs 10,000 and two air tickets,” he says. “Next day, I was told Mufti sahib was coming for some inauguration. I blocked his car and handed him an envelope. It had Rs 20,000 and a cheque for another Rs 20,000. He took it, didn’t say anything and left.

The family is demanding justice which they believe will be never given to them. People in Kashmir have no faith on justice; they only believe the courts as well as government favours the killers. This is the output which government had sown before here in Kashmir.

Following the news of zahid reached Srinagar, Hurriyat separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Jklf chairman Yasin malik called for a valley-wide shutdown to protest against the dreadfull killing of Zahid by Rss goons.

People on social media blamed Rss as well as Bjp for it. Some people on their facebook posts that these are so called “ache din” in Kashmir. A hash tag was made to show their support for Zahid “#BetiChusZahid”---i am also zahid.

Zahid will never return back. Nobody in this world could pacify the pain of his mother. She will wait for him throughout his life, for his return ---back to home.

Yasir Altaf Zargar is a web security analyst from Srinagar, acknowledged by Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, Apple, Nokia and Adobe. He Tweets as @zargaryasir. Feed Back:[email protected]