J-K missing persons’ kin aises a humble monument

The irony could not have been more striking. As the second bus rolled on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road to reunite families across the LoC, ...

The irony could not have been more striking. As the second bus rolled on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road to reunite families across the LoC, families of men who disappeared in custody gathered next to the road to erect a monument in the memory of their missing kin, demanding the government reunite them too.

‘‘The government started a bus (between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad) to reunite separated families. We, too, are requesting them to reunite us with our sons,’’ says Parveen Ahanger, president of the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP). ‘‘We have built this monument so that future generations know our pain,’’ she adds. Her son Javeed Ahmad disappeared after he was taken into custody by security forces 13 years ago.

Etched on a black marble slate fixed on the monument, a brick wall, is the message: ‘‘We shall never allow the past to be forgotten. We shall never allow this crime to happen to our future generations’’.

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It was an emotional moment for the 200 people gathered at the site, especially the women. Mughli Begum, 65, who has been living alone ever since his only son disappeared 10 years ago, says: ‘‘I feel light here. My son has been missing for the last 10 years and we didn’t have a graveyard for him. This is my son’s grave now. I will come here to cry.’’

Inscribed on the stone erected at Narbal on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad highway is the APDP’s resolve: ‘‘The justice we seek lies in not forgetting those, who should never be forgotten’’.

Among those gathered at the site was Varavara Rao, member of the Revolutionary Writers’ Association, who came all the way from Andhra Pradesh to show the families are not alone in their fight for justice. ‘‘We are here to express solidarity with you,’’ said Rao. ‘‘We have raised many memorials in our state but none for missing persons. You are an inspiration for us. We will fight it together.’’

The APDP says that more than 8,000 people have disappeared in the custody of security forces since the inception of militancy in Kashmir. However, official figures peg the number at 3,500.

Bashaarat Masood

Bashaarat Masood is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express. He has been covering Jammu and Kashmir, especially the conflict-ridden Kashmir valley, for two decades. Bashaarat joined The Indian Express after completing his Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University in Kashmir. He has been writing on politics, conflict and development. Bashaarat was awarded with the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2012 for his stories on the Pathribal fake encounter. ... Read More