"Between Heroism and Terrorism there lies a single thin red line"

India – This vast sea of Humanity that we called our Home is a land of great diversity, varied topographical features of Snow Capped Peaks and mountains to Desert, of vast expanse from Jammu Kashmir to Kanya Kumari, from Gujarat to Arunachal Pradesh, and of inherent contradictions. People of all hues, race, colors and creeds, strives, toil and mingle together in this great land.

It is a Country where Jesus, Ram, Allah, Buddha and Guru Nanak are worshipped with equal ease, faith, loyalty and devotion. Though the relationship between the followers of the different faiths (religion), I hate to admit is not always the most cordial or the most harmonious. And there have been many instances or incidents when the followers and the propagators of the different religions have locked horns, daggers drawn which often culminated into bloody riots leaving behind many traumatized religious Indians.

Karl Marx was right! Religion is no doubt the opium of the masses; the 'opium' which gives the ultimate kick and every cause can be justified when you are doing it for 'the Lord', or in the name of the Lord. No wonder! We have fanatic, fundamentalist and orthodox religious groups like the R.S.S. the Bajrang Dal and the Fiyadeens. It is these 'fascist groups' who has always shown us in a bad light to the whole world, and who have often put one of the basic principles enshrined in the Constitution of India 'Our Secularism' in question. No doubt, they are the rotten apples in the basket, the fly in the ointment. Though we are of different race, stock and religion, yet we move on as Indians at our own pace and to our own beat and our own interpretation of 'Sare Jahan Se Accha' and 'Jana Gana Mana'

To the outside world - India seems to be a colorful, mystical and vibrant nation on the move. But on a closer analysis and on a closer scrutiny, the truth and the reality is not quite as it seems. Beneath this façade of being 'the world's largest democracy', 'A Developing Nation' and of 'a global I.T. Power', there is a seething discontent, sub-nationalism, and secessionist movement and anger towards the Indian Government. In this very context I would like to draw your attention to two regions in the Country where Nature has been over extra-generous in her bounty – Jammu & Kashmir and the North East India. The beauty of these two regions is indescribable, nature has shown her varied features, colors, shapes, size and is always in her 'Sunday's best' in these two regions. The Creator did showed off when He created the picturesque regions of Jammu & Kashmir and the North East!!

But ironically these two regions are also a classic example of 'a never ending bloody war' being fought between unequal forces i.e. between the Indian Government and the 'Insurgents' of Jammu & Kashmir and the North East. A section of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and the North-East has always been wary of the Central Government in Delhi. And in these two regions – the Indianess of the people, of the local populace has always been in question. Several outfits and groups from these two regions have raised the banner of revolt against the Indian Union, and these Outfits have launched their 'own freedom movement' from what they called the Indian Imperial Yoke. It may be apt to mention here that some of these outfits operating in J&K and the North East have been fighting for Independence for more than 50 years. These 'Insurgents' are almost as old as the Indian Nation itself.

The mood of the people in the North East could be gauged by a writing on a wall in Shillong in the Capital of Meghalaya some years back 'Khasis by birth; Indians by accident'. The Indian Government, not one to be beaten down has taken up the gauntlet of challenge and the Indian Security Forces in the Jammu & Kashmir and the North East have been having a free run, a free hand, and have been playing havoc with people's life in the name of maintaining law and order and curbing insurgency…. Killing the "Terrorists" and not sparing any one of them if ever they had the chance.

We just saw what happened in Manipur - when Thangjam Manorama's bullet-ridden body was found near her home on July 11… Another victim of unwarranted use of excessive force and excesses committed by the Indian Security personnel to the extent of outraging the modesty of a woman and later allegedly raping and killing her …Another glaring example of the brutality of the Indian Security Forces. The Accused – The Assam Rifles were trying their best to hush up the whole case, and they were using all their powers in their disposal and even resorting to arm twisting tactics because they were confident that the Indian Government would eventually side with them in this murky, dirty, lustful and carnal affair, and that the people could be cowed down or terrorized into submission. But contrary to the Assam Rifles calculations or mischievous expectations, Manipur rose up in flames … with the flames of the people anger over the unjustified, senseless and brutal killing of Rev. Jamkholet Khongsai and Manorama Devi growing higher and higher that is soon engulf the whole state and make the whole nation and the world sit up and take notice of the brutality and excesses of the Security forces.

The Utter disrespect for their lives, fuelled by feeling of neglect and abandonment had become too much to bear for the people of Manipur… and so they erupted in an orchestrated anger, in symphonized manner having had enough of the suppression of the Indian Security Forces, leaving the Governments both at the Center and State clueless on how to deal with the whole sensitive, complicated and a kind of a catch 22 situation.

In the name of curbing Insurgency, and emboldened and empowered by the Draconian Law like the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) – The Indian Security Forces – from the Police to the Army have been a pain in the neck, a thorn in the flesh for the local population of Jammu and Kashmir and the North East, who are caught between the Indian Security Forces and the Insurgents. Justice in the North East and in Jammu & Kashmir lies only in the barrel, the barrel of a loaded gun.

To the Indian Government –'Insurgents' may be "Terrorists" or 'Misguided Youths' or 'Anti Social Elements' or any other names that the Spin Doctors could come up with, but there is also another side to it too, another perspective, another way of looking at it. In a State like Manipur or any other State of the Indian Union where corruption by the powerful elite class bureaucracy is a part and parcel of the system, where the Politicians and the Bureaucrats are fleecing the fat of the land, eating away into the Development Funds meant for the people. To quote one simple villager "These Babus and Netas, no amount of pleading with them will do, they know only one language and that is the Language of Fear"

Hence in Insurgency hit states, innocent civilians are often shot dead and framed by the Police as Hard Core Militants!! Well! Who cares for a Life as long as it adds up to their record and increase their reputation in the eyes of their superiors. Little do the Security Forces realized that at times they are ' the real terrorists' in the eyes of the people for often bullying, terrorizing and harassing the innocent civilians and the public in the name of maintaining law and order.

Imposition of Draconian Laws like the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) only antagonized the people to no end. Under this diabolical law, unusually even low security personnel are authorized to arrest people. Even a Havildar – A Non Commissioned Officer; equal to the rank of a Sergeant can order arrest and detention. Elsewhere only officers – that too of a certain rank and above have the right to arrest and detain. Moreover the person so arrested can be detained for months without being produced before a magistrate or a competent authority. Under regular criminal laws, an arrested person has to be produced before a judicial officer within 24 hours and the charges and the reasons for arrest listed and stated. There have been numerous complaints over the years that these powers have been used arbitrarily, unfairly and often without justification. Yet the Central Government is the least bothered!

The Insurgents/ Terrorism (Take your pick) in the North East India unlike the Jammu & Kashmir lacks an international dimension. The Insurgents/Terrorism in the North-East has not been internationalized. So the 'Insurgents' in the North-East Region have been dying in oblivion – unsung and unheard for the cause they truly believe in. The people of the North-East have always been given a R.A.W deal by the Central Government.

The people of J&K and North-East are living between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, the local populace of the two regions are caught between the Indian Security Forces and the Insurgents, for they cannot afford to antagonize either of them. For, the people of these two regions have learnt too well from past experiences and from decades of conflict that arguing with a loaded gun could be very fatal.

Personally, I pledge full allegiance to the State of India, and I am proud of its rich culture, varied and diverse heritage. But I feel that it's high time that the Indian Government takes a broad minded view and a magnanimous approach towards the Insurgency in J&K and the North-East. The Indian Government should try to overcome the Insurgents Groups operating in J&K and India's North-East through good will and development of the Regions and its resources and with genuine concern for the for the people of the two strife torn regions, and should be sincere in its approach, and make the Insurgents realize that Independence or sovereignty from India will do them no good. And not through the use of brutal and excessive force, ill-conceived ad-hoc policies meant only to oppress and intimidate the people of J&K and the North-East.

To quote the American Poets and Singers Don Henley and Glen Frey:-

'Who will provide the great design?'
What is yours and what is mine?
Cause there is no more new frontiers
We all have got to make it here
To satisfy our endless needs
To justify our bloodied deeds
In the name of destiny
In the name of God

If the Central Government does not reach a concrete agreement or understanding with the 'Insurgents' in both the above mentioned regions, then it sure will continue to rain blood, bullets, grenades, bombs, I.E.D's, tear-gas and rubber bullets on the people of my beloved mother region the North-East and my fellow countrymen and women in the State of Jammu & Kashmir.

In the end I would like to quote a few lines from a song by the Delhi based Rock Band Parikrama:-

"Will this life gets any better?
More yesterday than today
How I wish the sun would shine tomorrow
But it Rained"


And it sure looks like it is going to rain some more……Yeah! How I really wish that the sun would shine tomorrow. A tomorrow where kids could run freely and play without the fear of the automatic guns, And where little Girls would prance and dance about freely with bright colored ribbons dangling from their hair….But it Rained………and it sure looks like there will be a downpour of blood and bullets, bombs and grenades in the days ahead. And who cares enough to stop 'the rain'?? - Is a question that really begs an answer.... But it rained!!