The Legitimate Desk Selective
Last week when a blood riddled body of 22 year old woman was found in South Kashmir, there was a little hue and cry from a particular margin of society. First it was a short-few seconds video that went viral on social media. In this very short video clip, the woman sitting on her knees in the dark of night pleading to a man, not in picture for mercy.
However, her mercy is responded with two back to back bullets pierced into her body and the woman fell on the ground and blood oozed out turning white snow into red. The woman is dead. Next day morning the body was found by locals and was identified as 22 year old Ishrat of Dangerpora. Ishrat was pursing MA in sociology through distance mode and had in morning left to attend classes.
While police took strong cognizance of the case and termed the murder as brutal, what was more to see the dilemma that the social media warriors were left in -whether it deserves condemnation or not.
Literally very few condemnations poured in especially from the mainstream politicians including former chief minister, Omar Abdullah. Omar said that this is the horrific murder and deserves condemnation. However, he took dig on those who remained silent over this killing and said that apologists are as guilty as perpetrators of this horrific murder.
Ishrat Muneer Bhat is the cousin of Zeenat-ul- Islam, a militant commander who was recently killed by security forces in an encounter. Her guilt has not been revealed by perpetuators unlike in past incidents where these gunmen would first ask the victims to confess their guilt’s on record. However, the body was found at the place exactly where funeral of Zeenat Ul Islam was held- some 15 kilometres away from her home, media reported.
Given to past experience, it is needless to say why this killing was not condemned. Kashmir over the past several years has grown up a fractured and divided society. Where the killings have became the norm of the day, at the same time the outrage is also selective. Some killings attract huge crowds; many other coffins have fewer to take to the graveyard.
Similar to Muneer’s case where her uncle led the funeral and only close relatives and few neighbours joined in. Inconsolable family members who have no visitors even to mourn the killing of young woman are dumbstruck. They plead everyone to tell them the reasons for killing their daughter.
As the conflict had riddled our social fabric, a commoner is in dilemma as what fits right to his social norms and what makes him more acceptable to the society.
There is little left to understand and think over. Minds have been doctored and physical spaces have been choked. No one is bothered to set the debate in society where such killings could be avoided and all those who kill people are held guilty.
As long there is no proof that the killing has occurred in the security forces action, the news is swept under the carpet and the families are literally boycotted. The perpetrators are often named as “Unknown gunmen”. But we have failed to find out these unknown gunmen till now and he continues to consume the precious human lives.
He evades accountability to the system and society and continues to enjoy his power of gun. This unknown gunman is proving more dangerous than those in uniform. As long we ignore and overlook this death of dance by the unknown gunmen, Kashmir will continue to suffer and the precious lives will continue to lose. funeral
