Migrant comes back but meets only death

ANDOW KARGIL, JULY 11: Twenty-year-old Mohammad Easa was on his way to offer the morning prayers on Saturday, but he never reached the ...

ANDOW KARGIL, JULY 11: Twenty-year-old Mohammad Easa was on his way to offer the morning prayers on Saturday, but he never reached the mosque. A Pakistani shell landed in front of him killing him on the spot. After a few days of silence, Pakistani artillery guns have again started pounding Kargil town, especially the Khurbatong Plateau since early Saturday morning. At around 5.30 am two shells landed in their small village on the bank of Suru river.

quot;I was also out and had just entered my house when the shells hit the village. It looked like an earthquake as whole of my house shook,quot; said Mohammad Hussain. The same shell that killed Easa had exploded just outside Hussain8217;s house.

There are just 11 families residing in this small Andow village that is just two km away from the main Kargil town. Despite being located so close to the district headquarter, the village is very backward. The only narrow road reaching here had been closed two weeks ago because of landmines but the authorities did not bother tosend a dozer to clear the road.

The villagers had fled after the shelling intensified in May but returned only a few days ago thinking that the temporary halt in Pak shelling may be permanent. quot;Easa was very scared of shelling and had fled to Trespone. He had returned on Friday to save whatever crop remained,quot; said Easa8217;s grandfather Ali Zada.

Soon, the few villagers residing in the villager gathered at Easa8217;s house to condole his death. In the compound, a few youngsters cooked rice for the mourners.

Eldest in the family, Easa has two young brothers and a sister. His father Ali Asgar is a labourer. quot;It was a compulsion to return to our village though we knew it is dangerous,quot; said a tearful Asger. quot;We had to collect grass for our goats and also do whatever bit of farming is left otherwise we will die of starvation during the winter months,quot; he added.

The village is an excellent example of government apathy towards the region. Till recently, there was no school in the village. A primary school wasopened in the area some time back, but that too is not functional as it doesn8217;t have a teacher. Hussain has decided to flee the village once and forever. quot;I am going to sell-off my cow and migrate to any other safer place,quot; he said.

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The villagers, who are mostly labourers, would work during the summer months and save some money to buy ration for the difficult months. But this year, if they survive shelling, they feel starvation will definitely kill them in winter when the area gets cut off from the rest of country.

Ironically, neither the DC Kargil Shallen Kabra nor the Minister for Works, Kamar Ali Akhoon, who is camping here, visited the family on Saturday. After the villagers informed the police of the incident, a team of policemen came to inform the villagers that the body had to be taken for a post-mortem to Kargil. Such was the police8217;s lack of sympathy that the villagers, who had lifted the body on a stretcher, had to walk half-a-kilometre to reach the police vehicle.

Meanwhile, Pak artilleryguns resumed pounding the National Highway 1-A between Drass and Kaksar. Around 100 shells landed along the road. However, no one was hurt in the shelling.

Muzamil Jaleel

Muzamil Jaleel is a Deputy Editor at The Indian Express and is widely recognized as one of India’s most authoritative voices on Jammu & Kashmir, national security, and internal affairs. With a career spanning over 30 years, he has provided definitive on-the-ground reportage from the heart of the Kashmir conflict, bearing witness to historic political transitions and constitutional shifts. Expertise and Investigative Depth Muzamil’s work is characterized by a rare combination of ground-level immersion and high-level constitutional analysis. His expertise includes: Conflict & Geopolitics: Decades of reporting on the evolution of the Kashmir conflict, the Indo-Pak peace process, and the socio-political dynamics of the Himalayan region. Constitutional Law: Deep-dive analysis of Article 370 and Article 35A, providing clarity on the legal and demographic implications of their abrogation in 2019. Human Rights & Accountability: A relentless investigator of state and non-state actors, uncovering systemic abuses including fake encounters and the custodial death of political workers. International War Reporting: Beyond South Asia, he provided on-the-spot coverage of the final, decisive phase of the Sri Lankan Civil War in 2009. Landmark Exposés & Impact Muzamil’s reporting has repeatedly forced institutional accountability and shaped national discourse: The Kashmir Sex Scandal (2006): His investigative series exposed a high-profile exploitation nexus involving top politicians, bureaucrats, and police officers, leading to the sacking and arrest of several senior officials. Fake Encounters: His reports blew the lid off cases where innocent civilians were passed off as "foreign terrorists" by security forces for gallantry awards. SIMI Investigations: He conducted a massive deep-dive into the arrests of SIMI members, using public records to show how innocuous religious gatherings were often labeled as incriminating activities by investigative agencies. The Amarnath Land Row: Provided critical context to the 2008 agitation that polarized the region and altered its political trajectory. Over the years, Muzamil has also covered 2002 Gujarat riots, Bhuj earthquake, assembly elections in Bihar for Indian Express. He has also reported the peace process in Northern Ireland, war in Sri Lanka and national elections in Pakistan for the paper. Awards and Fellowships His "Journalism of Courage" has been honored with the industry's most prestigious accolades: Four Ramnath Goenka Awards: Recognized for J&K Reportage (2007), On-the-Spot Reporting (2009), and Reporting on Politics and Government (2012, 2017). Kurt Schork Award: From Columbia University for international journalism. Sanskriti Award: For excellence in Indian journalism and literature. IFJ Tolerance Prize: For his empathetic and nuanced reporting in South Asia. International Fellowships: Served as a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley and worked with The Guardian, The Observer, and The Times in London. He has also received Chevening fellowship and a fellowship at the Institute of Social Studies, Hague, Netherlands. Professional Presence Current Location: New Delhi (formerly Bureau Chief, Srinagar). Education: Master’s in Journalism from Kashmir University. Social Media: Follow him for field insights and rigorous analysis on X (Twitter) @MuzamilJALEEL. ... Read More