Book Review | How Indian State Failed Kashmiris
Overall, the discussion in the book is about the failure of the Indian state as a deliberate enterprise, not just on account of inefficiencies, corruption and an insufficient grasp
This book by a retired officer of the Indian Army, who served in counter-insurgency operations in Kashmir, is unusual in many respects. It is based in a considerable way on interviews with retired high-level military and civilian officers and right to information data. That offers a somewhat different dimension compared to journalistic and bureaucratic “histories”.
Insofar as Col Yoginder Kandhari’s portrayal of the extremely violent years of the late 1980s and the early 1990s goes, the general impression is confirmed that the Indian state practically keeled over in the face of the Pakistan-inspired “insurgency”, an expression whose definition or meaning has attracted discussion in the literature alongside expressions like “militancy” or “terrorism”.
The author happens to be a Kashmiri Pandit, whose community, the minuscule minority of the Kashmir Valley, had to flee en masse in those terrible years in a modern-day exodus, but that fact has not coloured the writing. This is remarkable for our times when extremely communal films and interpretations have been officially promoted.
In a rudimentary sense the book seeks to trace the rough history of Kashmir, with focus on the post-1947 period where it is said the communalisation of state government policies to the detriment of the minority was dominant. It was also noteworthy that the Centre looked away from its support funds being diverted to line the pockets of the influential, instead of seeking to shape the course of a post-monarchy state on Pakistan’s border. This probably significantly contributed to its cluelessness when militancy arose.
The communalisation question perhaps needs to be assessed in the light of the era of post-monarchy attempt at democracy in a state where the bulk of the Muslim population were indistinguishable from a state of semi-serfdom earlier. This is akin to reservations for SC/ST categories today raising hackles among the gainers. In a parallel attempt, the book seeks to suggest that the Kashmiri Hindus were left to their own devices because India wanted to erase their Kashmiri identity and place it in the larger pattern of Indian nationalism. These are strong positions which deal with complex ideas and can be a separate study.
Overall, the discussion in the book is about the failure of the Indian state as a deliberate enterprise, not just on account of inefficiencies, corruption and an insufficient grasp. A good deal of this hangs on interpretation. Elaboration might have placed the matter in clearer light. Journalist accounts, which can offer a feel of the times, and the reflections of retired bureaucrats and lapsed militants, are useful up to a point. This book seeks to raise complex questions through everyday happenings in a time of turmoil.
Kashmir Insurgency
By Yoginder Kandhari
White Falcon Publishing
pp. 308; Rs 700