Hi Umesh,
Well! the Kasmiri militants like their Taliban cousins never did arise from any lofty ideal. In any case, advocating for one religious order only and killing any one that comes in between them and their warped goal tells us how mindless these thugs are.
--Ram da
On 5/2/06, Ram Sarangapani <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Violence as a means of redressing social inequality
and oppression may neither be desirable nor seen as the best approach. But it is a fact of history that violence has been a vector of change in different periods of human civilization when tyranny and authoritarianism had to be overthrown. Even during our freedom struggle which was guided principally by the ethics of non-violence, there were several strands of militant politics, and the nation has gratefully acknowledged the contribution of patriots like Bhagat Singh or ''Bagha'' Jatin. And since independence, the country has seen several militant struggles especially in regions where the state has miserably failed to ensure distributive justice. In the north-eastern region, however, militancy has been closely linked with the politics of identity which, in turn, is tied up in many cases with underdevelopment and a deep sense of exploitation. Hence, a small section of those who have felt that securing justice is not possible within the democratic system, have taken to militancy. But the history of political violence also shows that it is extremely difficult to sustain a militant movement. This is exactly why leaders of revolutionary struggles have always emphasized on the need for strict ideological orientation of such movements. But it is seen that in most cases, these movements, in the course of time, get deviated from their stated purpose and degenerate into narrow terrorist outfits which make their presence felt by indulging in random violence aimed at striking fear among the people. Such outfits thrive mainly on extortion and violence. This is exactly what has happened in the Northeast. The people of Asom have witnessed how the ULFA, which started off with a pro-people stance, quickly degenerated into a terrorist outfit sans any ideology. The mass graves at Lakhipathar and the countless killings of innocent civilians quickly revealed its true character as an organization bent on using terror as the sole means of advancing its narrow goals.
In neighbouring Manipur which boasts of over a dozen militant outfits, the recent reported mass rape of Hmar women by a militant group is a pointer to the fact that there too the militant movement has meandered. Those acquainted with the trends of militancy in that State know that among the different insurgent organizations, certain groups could lay some claim to possessing some sort of an ideological core. But the recent happenings, including the blatant attempt to gag the press by holding editors to ransom, have proved that such a core does not exist any more. The Hmars living in Churachandpur district of Manipur have been fleeing their homes because of continuous atrocities being perpetrated on them by a particular militant group. One may recall the Naga-Kuki clash when the NSCN and the KLA played their own part in targeting the civilian population of either community, or the recent happenings in Karbi Anglong where militant groups did not spare even women and children. What is even more disturbing is that the Naxalites too have now shifted their targets from the state to the common people. The recent kidnapping and murder of some 15 villagers in Manikanta village of south Chattisgarh reveals the bankruptcy of the Maoist cause. Earlier too, in February, the Maoists blew up a vehicle carrying villagers from an anti-Naxalite rally and killed 32 people. With ''liberators'' turning into killers, the pitfalls of militant violence are getting clearer every day.
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