Not So Intellectuals…
By Nazir Gillo
04 July, 2015
Countercurrents.org
The illegal detention of Muzamil Farooq, a PG student of Kashmir’s University’s English Department and its follow-up left a blot on highest seat of learning in Kashmir. The incident, which not only triggered huge demonstrations by students but also exposed how our intellectuals and premiere institutions are being overshadowed and trespassed by military might in Kashmir.
Shockingly in the past week, what hit everyone’s conscious was the visible silence of academicians and scholarson the arrest of Muzamil, who subsided themselves though having a big role to play, and applied a ‘keep away and be safe’ strategy. The students grow into conscious with a bitter factthat our adoredprofessors and intellects,who pretend to be our well-wishers, actually are keeping with studentsa kind of relationship which is like a small layer of dust on a surface of a stone,which do floats away even with a little breezeof air. Later on they expect rather demand respect, honor and comply with’from the students. Similarly,we as a student’s expect from them a friendship or a parent-child like relationship in order get benefitted from the bulk of knowledge they possess, but their discrepant attitude which later symbolizes in their approach and actions; ultimately never let the plants to grow and fruits to ripe.
Our professors at the varsity never wear out of making claims of doing every good act for their (Students) well-being. But those claims fell flat on June 25, 2015, when none of the respected professors visitedor tried to meet the angry student’s, demonstrating against the detention of Muzamil by SOG men in Saderbal, Hazratbal Srinagar. Not only this, after couple of days they even went one step ahead by condemning and reprovingthe students for holding remonstrations by violating the ‘so-called University regulations.’
Professors in their cold-hearted comments told students of their respective departments not to get involved into the mess,instead get back to their classes, but majority of the students defied only to release of their brother. As thundered one among the protesters, “I had to protest, I had to shout the slogans and I had to seek justice and make accountable those torturing innocents, later forcing them to confess the crime which they have never commit at all, against their will. My protest was notto sit in leisure or project myself as a hooligan, but I wanted to send a clear and loud message to those, who feel no hesitation in torturing the innocent university students and least care about their feelings and sentiments.”
For the one and a half year, professors at English Department would have given a standing ovation to Muzamil for his punctuality and hard work and might have taught him to be firm and ‘never compromise on his integrity’. But after his arrest for alleged links to militancy which Indian forces were still unable to prove,those admired professors turned their back towards this boy not even for once cared for his being innocent.
On his arrest, when on 25th of June, his batch-mates along with other University students peacefully protested against his detentionby SOG on a mere suspicion, their attempt was foiled and suppressed as has been legacy in Kashmir for years. They were even labeled as ‘Hooligans’,and University authorities resorted to lathi charge and shockingly fired a bullet to disperse the peaceful protesting students inside the campus.
The helplessness of Vice-Chancellor and the mighty presence of military personal inside University campus astonished everyone.In-spite of this, students continued their protests. If not assurance of release, at least students were expecting a positive responsefrom the Vice Chancellor whohad kept himself sealed in his room and never came down to meet the protesting students.
The issue was sensitive and was continuously swelling. But the administration was lazing inside the secretariat. Suddenly, some students became exasperated and bashedthe windowpane of the VC secretariat. The police, not caring about the sanctity of University and its students, opened gunfire to disperse the students. But students assembled again peacefully and continuedprotests against the administration and the detention of Muzamil Farooq.
The officials somehow managed to escape the scene but their inefficiency to get back the Muzamil distressed the protesting students. Itrose-up concerns among them, if they themselves would be safe given the powerlessness of authorities of this premiereinstitution.
The administration called protestersthe violence mongers and some professors referred them as hooligans. Some local media outlets while publishing only the official versions of a story continued to remain in dark shades by providing space to those articles and news items, which only spilled the salt on the wounds which were yet to healed.
When administration find thatthey are sinking with their boat they ordered the suspension of class work and evicted the students from hostels, a sheer act of frustration. This move by administration exposed, to what extent our galaxy of intellectuals can go to suppress the free speech and simultaneously implement the commands coming from the outside lobby.
Muzamil has been now released on bail, but the incident has ruined his career. He would be now on radar for police and military forces. Life from now would be scary for Muzamil and less than hellfire for his Family and relatives.
This incident in Kashmir is a blot on the so-called World’s largest democracy, where a simple post on social networking site and single word to show dissent can put someone behind the bars.
Unfortunately, University officials and our respected professors might shout that this is not the right way to express your anger and dissentbut for their remembrance I would like to say that this has been and was the only option left to the caged students of Kashmir University to get their demands heard.
The author is a journalism student at Kashmir University. Feedback at…. [email protected]
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