Balbir Ram Rattan
Come January and J&K state is suddenly put on the news of high alert, round the clock searches of suspected hideouts, deployment of additional forces, installation/ activation of CCTV cameras, utilizing services of sniffer dogs, and what not ….all in the name of beefing up security grid for country’s Republic Day falling on January 26. This hectic exercise is done every year in run up to the Republic Day in order to ensure peaceful and incident free celebrations associated with the Day. No ‘drill’ related to security and sanitization is left in every part of the state and therefore not new to Jammu and its people. In fact, such exercises are not just confined to Republic Day. For the more than past two decades, it has been seen that whenever any festival, religious or national day approaches, or any mega event is going to be organized, the cities and towns, particularly the capital cities, are turned into fortresses for few days to check any untoward incident or foil any terrorist attack by the anti-national elements or those who indulge in such acts at the behest of dictates from foreign soil. Tension on borders too get manifold amid fears of unprovoked firing, attempts to push terrorists and indulge in firing with a motive to create panic among the people.
It goes beyond saying that ours is a country with multi religious and multi cultural festivals and social events, including national, religious and community festivals, which used to be celebrated with full fervour and gaiety in the past. However, during the last more than two decades, the joy and enthusiasm related to such festivals and colour has unfortunately faded gradually for the reasons that a sense of fear has developed in the minds of people through length and breadth of the country, much more in Jammu and Kashmir state. And this fear is not unfounded either. When militancy was at its peak, on many such occasions, militants struck in a big way, targeting army camps, public places with bomb blasts or fidayeen attacks in which many lives were lost. The people of Jammu still remember Republic Day Parade of 1995 at Maulana Azad Stadium, when bomb blasts during the parade resulted in deaths and injuries, while the than Governor General KV Krishna Rao narrowly escaped on stage while taking salute with 30,000 people in attendance. From that day onwards, number of people reaching to watch parade has gone down. Many people prefer to sit home and watch the event on television as they feel more secure indoor rather than going to stadium.
It has became mandatory thereafter in the interests of the security and safety of public in general to increase vigil along with preparedness for the festivals. Whether it is Republic day or independence day, or religious festivals like Diwali, Eid, Guruparav, Christmas Day or sports / cultural events, it is seen that security is beefed up and every available security related gadget is pressed into service.
It has been seen that whenever a day of religious celebration or national festival approaches, people keep praying for peaceful conclusion of the same. Why so ? Why the people start feeling insecure and fear of something untoward before or on such day ? Who is such powerful force which creates hurdles in smooth celebrations and rather sends a wave of terror among the people ?
Even the government too fears some untoward and comes out with directions of high alert, searches, raids and picking up of suspected elements to avert any such happening.
Undoubtedly, the common answer to all such queries is that our neighbouring country has been doing all this. And even more amazing thing is that our governments know who is behind all this, they claim of having concrete proofs of the involvement of neighbouring country in such attacks, still we harp on holding talks after talks instead of working to get it exposed on international level for its omissions and commissions. Neither have we displayed our will to teach it a lesson for its misdeeds nor been able to convey our anger and concern over its repeated acts of disruption of peace. On one hand, we make hike every year in defence budget citing that such and such latest and sophisticated weaponry is needed to upgrade our security set up to meet and challenge from any one but fail to even use them and every such machine, weapon or other costly gadgets get rusted. Countries like Pakistan and even China keep creating problems for us, we neither opt for military options nor we get them committed for peaceful bilateral relations as good neighbours.
The bottom line remains that if such soft policy of our governments continues towards Pakistan, we can not think of celebrating our festivals or organize mega events outside the shadow of terror.
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