Una famiglia di Pampore, center of trade in saffron in the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, which met in front of the TV goes on air yet another Bollywood musical. It 's the night scene common to millions of Indian homes, from Calcutta to Bombay, from southern Tamil Nadu to the Himalayas. Here, however, the carefree music film 'overlap soon the cries of a] demonstration protesting the death of a protester killed by Indian soldiers. The slogan azadi (freedom) Zurbaid, the younger son, 13 years old, short hair neatly combed, and a green t-shirt Adidas, rises suddenly and leaves the house without a glance. The father shakes his head: "There is nothing to be done. These guys are not there to hear ' says resignedly: "They are fearless," not afraid of anything, "it is impossible to stop the boys." Kashmir all
now call them so, the boys: they are the kids who throw stones, stars of mass quell'intifada that this summer has become the main form of protest of the separatist movement, yet another metamorphosis of the revolt began in 1989 and in that 70,000 Kashmiris have died by now. The boys are Zurbaid as teenagers, ages 10 to 18 years, but children as young as 7, 8, 9 years. You see them in clouds gather in the streets of mountain villages or in the streets of the old city of Srinagar, summer capital of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, and then come out in force on main roads with stone-throwing unexpected. Hurled stones at the walls of the barracks, the windows of government buildings, bunkers of sandbags placed at every intersection and bamboo shields Indian paramilitary soldiers. Arrive a few minutes and khaki uniforms of the CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) to disperse the boys that shoot rubber bullets, tear gas and volleys of Ak47. Often a child stays on the ground in a pool of blood. At the news of deaths and injuries the boys are thrown back on the streets to vent their anger with new stone throwing. The soldiers responded by firing without scruples, some of the special protection of the laws. Every day, more deaths and injuries to the account that trigger more protests, a vicious cycle of where no end in sight.
soldiers against children
Two and a half months since the beginning of this wave of protests the death toll at 64, all civilians. More than half of those killed were minors, including three children of 7 years. To ignite the intifada of the summer was indeed just the killing of a boy, Tufail Ahmed Mattoo, 17, died June 11. He spent next to a peaceful protest against an episode of army brutality, returning home after a private lesson when he was hit in the head by a tear gas projectile fired at elevation zero. Tufail thus became the first in a series of victims of underage kids as Faizan Rafiq, 13 years drowned July 17 after being stunned by soldiers and thrown into the river Jhelum, which runs through Srinagar. Or children as Sameer Ahmad Rah, seven years, died Aug. 2 and became the symbol of the brutality of the state. Had left his house to buy some fruit when he was chased by stray dogs. Seeing him run the soldiers surrounded him and raged at him, breaking several ribs before you push a stick down her throat in front of horrified passers-by.
The impressive number of minors killed and maimed by the Indian security forces in the summer of blood is proof of what we are repeating many Kashmiri adults in disbelief in front of the massacre: that this conflict is becoming in an attack on the children of the civil war, the generation of Kashmiris born after 1989. A generation grew up under military occupation, whose daily life was marked dall'ingombrante presence of 700,000 troops, marked by indiscriminate killings, by stories of rapes and torture, mourning the deaths of fathers and relatives and the humiliation of searches continue. These guys are not used to living under curfew. Disillusioned by the failure of any promise of conflict resolution, using the stones as letters of protest sent to New Delhi to let people know that there is peace in Kashmir.
Faced with angry kids, the Indian and Kashmiri leadership seems unable to provide any response it does not come from the barrel of a gun. "I do not know what to hope to get pelting stones," he said recently, the chief minister (head of government) of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, heir to the dynasty that Kashmiri nationalism has become the representative of the party Congress, therefore, of the central government in New Delhi.
A generation without
leader Farooq has 17 years, Ronaldinho's hair under a cap rapper, like the boys Maghreb, Turks or Pakistanis flock to the popular quarters of Paris, London and Berlin. Spends his days locked up at home for a curfew when you zap. Then in the evening we meet with friends in the center Srinagar: go "to throwing stones," admits taking no airs. Sometimes when things get hot will not return for days, causing the anguish of his mother, Salima, one of the many widows of the Civil War. The husband, who had joined the armed struggle, passed away ten years ago. Remains an overexposed photo of him hanging in the small room that serves as a living room and bedroom. If fathers, who in the 90s have taken up arms, have been militarily defeated, killed, imprisoned or disappeared, their children are anything but resigned. "They kill a person in a family and wanted you to be silent," says Salima. "But it's the opposite. For each ribellanno killed two people. "
Today the boys were not prepared to listen to the calls for calm. "The kids are uncontrollable," repeated adults and seniors. It does not seem to have taken even the leadership of the two main leaders of the Hurriyat conference, the 'sign' of the Kashmiri political and social forces seeking independence, moderate Mirvaiz Umar Farooq and Syed Ali Shah Geelani radical: some boys they called her ' sold. " Like many other leaders in the past, most notably Sheikh Abdullah, grandfather of the chief minister, at the time recognized and respected leader of the Kashmiris (he opt for New Delhi in a framework of autonomy in 1947, when the old colonial empire were born two separate nations of India and Pakistan): whose tomb is constantly guarded by four soldiers to avoid desecration. "The boys have no leaders": they say the opponents of the motion to certify the madness and justify their repression, but they say the same kids who are keen to avoid being painted as the pawns of some grand old man of Pakistani state or as laborers , paid 200 rupees per day for throwing stones as claimed by the nationalist press in India that behind every protest sees the long arm of the ISI, the notorious secret service, Islamabad.
A person for the truth is that enjoys the confidence of boys, and that the insurgency in recent months is raising a new leader of the separatist movement. E 'Masarat Allam, leader of the Kashmir Muslim League and deputy of the venerable head of the Geelani faction of Hurriyat radical: With its 39 years is hardly a teenager, but with his intransigence has earned the respect of kids tirapietre. If the timing of formal complaint (not entirely true that the movement has no reference) is still written by Geelani, according to the boys from his secret hideout Allam is to move the ranks of the insurgency. He coined the slogan 'Go India, go back, "became the watchword of this movement. Behind the Muslim faithful to his long beard is amassing a generation seeking uncompromising azadi, freedom.
But if you ask the boys what they mean exactly for "azadi" do not speak of independence, autonomy, self-government and other possible negotiated solutions. "What we want is simple," Farooq said: "What if the soldiers leave. We want to live without having to explain to a soldier, where are you going whenever you leave the house without being humiliated. We want to live without fear. " He says watching the two younger brothers to play cricket with a ball and a wooden board. It 's so many boys who have learned to take aim. This summer could be their turn.
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