Shahroz takes his day job very seriously: Attending patients at a private nursing home in downtown Srinagar. On Fridays, after the namaaz, he has a second job - throwing stones at CRPF jawans.
His friend Cezain Majeed hopes to be a science graduate next year. But his present occupation is to target the men in khaki - he hopes to hit at least a few every week.
A CRPF commander, not wanting to be named, described the stone-throwers as a bunch of hooligans. “Most of them are unemployed. Their only objective is to create trouble in their neighbourhoods.”
Stone-throwing, which has almost become a ritual in various parts of old Srinagar, is an organised movement - small groups of zealous youth (between 10 and 25 years) have been recruited to create trouble. Maisuma, one of the most sensitive places in Srinagar and home to separatist leader Yasin Malik, has a core group of almost 50 youth to take on the CRPF. “Our group consists of two BDS doctors and an MBA among others. I have a diploma in computer science too,” said Majeed.
Hours before the Friday namaaz is offered in the three mosques, a stroll in Maisuma doesn't suggest anything is amiss: Three local youths sharing a cigarette with a Kashmir police constable; women chatting in front of their homes; and CRPF jawans placing their loaded Insas rifles by their sides, letting their guard down for a while. "Everything changes after the prayers. The muezzins invariably spark the violence by chanting anti-India slogans. And suddenly, you will find hundreds of youths on the streets armed with stones. Then, stones of various sizes and shapes shower on us like rain," said the CRPF officer posted in Srinagar for more than a year.
"They are even paid money to form groups and throw stones. They are given as much as Rs 500 to create trouble," the officer alleged. "Nonsense," denied Majeed, "My father runs a business. Why should we need money to protest? We throw stones when we are angry."
"If they kill my brother or torture my sister, what do you expect me to do?" said Shaheed, another student and part-time stone-thrower. When asked how their parents react to it, he said: “They try to stop me. But I convince them. I asked my Abba, what would you do if the jawans kill me? He said, ‘I would do the same thing’.”
The CRPF, too, cites helplessness. Pointing out to a nearby bus stand, the CRPF commander said: “They will deliberately brush against our jawans standing there to protect the stand. But we can't say anything and silently swallow the humiliation. Even small children abuse us.”
The other side has stories of CRPF jawans looting shops, breaking windows, beating up innocent people on the streets during patrolling.
What is the present strategy to quell the unrest following the furore over the killings of 11 people during the past two weeks? “We are ultra-defensive. My boss has told me, ‘I am saving my job. You do the same.’ I have passed on the message. I have told my jawans even if they set our bunkers on fire, don’t open fire. Run away, if it is necessary,” said the visibly perturbed CRPF officer.
“These stone-throwers are such nasty people that they place their children in front knowing well that the police cannot attack the children. These kids are brain-washed from the time they start talking. When you get the opportunity to talk to them personally, they are very nice people. But when they form a group, they are a completely crazy lot. You can’t convince them. They are taught to hate India,” said the officer.
The stone-throwers draw inspiration from their counterparts in Palestine and draw parallel with other parts of India. “Stone pelting has been going on since the 1940s in the Kashmir valley. It also happens in Palestine and other parts of India. But the police or paramilitary forces do not fire on protesters elsewhere," said Shahroz.
Omar Abdullah has now devised a new strategy to tackle stone-throwers: Counter-stone-throwing squads. During the past five-six months, select police officers are engaged to throw back stones at the protesters.
Mehbooba Mufti, the leader of opposition PDP, said: "The formation of a counter-stone-throwing squad seems to be the only achievement of this government."
How long will these protests go on? "As long as the army doesn't leave our land; as long as we don't get our azaadi," said Cezain Majeed.
