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Journalism of Courage
WITH VOTING in the eight Assembly segments of the Chenab valley in Jammu division now 12 days away, the area that has recently been shaken by a series of militant attacks is now resonating with campaign noises – slogans, drums, even shehnai, as enthusiastic party workers roll out their best for Assembly polls happening after a decade.
In the past few days, the area has seen rallies of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi (Sangaldan in Banihal) and BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh (Gandoh, Bhaderwah).
Since June, both Gandoh and Bhaderwah have been the site of terror attacks and encounters, with security forces seizing sophisticated guns and ammunition. In the incident at Chhattargala in Bhaderwah, six security personnel were injured. Adjoining Doda district has been the site of nearly a dozen terror attacks since June, leaving five Army men including two Captains dead.
On Wednesday, slogans like “Parihar sahab aagey badho, hum tumhare saath hain (Parihar sahab move ahead, we are with you)” rent the air as BJP Doda West candidate Shakti Parihar took out a rally in Dessa’s Ghai and Gutta villages. It was near here that militants killed four soldiers including an Army Captain on July 16.
Since then, security forces have had multiple exchanges of fire in the area with the militants, but have failed to capture them.
In villages like Angnol, Sinoo and Daline with a combined population of nearly 2,500-3,000, which lie in close vicinity to the June 26 encounter site in which three suspected foreign militants were killed, a security clampdown by the administration had followed. Now, every other house bears a flag or banner of a political party while people are coming in large numbers to hear candidates or their representatives, says Abdul Majid Angnol, a social activist.
Calling the “hustle-bustle” a novelty in these hilly areas, where large sections can’t be accessed by vehicles, Angnol says: “When Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) candidate Mohammad Aslam Goni filed his nomination papers from Bhaderwah Assembly constituency, people crowded into more than half-a-dozen vehicles to go support him.”
With Ghulam Nabi Azad declaring that he is unwell and won’t campaign, among the candidates of his party who have dropped out is Goni.
The security cover provided to each contesting candidate is more than double that in past elections in J&K given the stakes, a senior police officer said, adding that security forces are not only dominating the heights, but have also set up nakas and pickets in inhabited areas.
Senior police officers said that while militant groups are believed to be still present in the area, the deployment of additional security forces both by the Centre and Union territory has pushed them into the interiors.
Refusing to come on record, several candidates denied fear of militants, attributing it to the increased presence of security forces and police. However, as a precautionary measure, they inform security agencies in advance about their political programmes.
Pritam Thakur of Ghai village talks about the stark contrast from just days ago when even during daytime, in view of the movement of militants in nearby forests, the area wore a deserted look. “Now, there are huddles till late evening with people discussing the elections and the respective candidates and parties.”
Campaigning has also picked up in areas along the Mughal Road in the border Rajouri and Poonch districts, which saw recently a spurt in militant attacks on security forces for the first time since 2021.
Last week, the BJP’s Iqbal Malik and supporters took out a car rally over 15 km from Darhal to Thanamandi, says an excited Abdul Aziz, former sarpanch of the Pangai panchayat, from where nearly half-a-dozen youth were picked up by security forces following the killing of four soldiers in an ambush by militants in December 2023.
Another candidate active on the ground is former National Conference leader and retired judge Muzaffar Iqbal Khan, who is contesting from Thanamandi as an Independent.
“People are happy as they think there will be at least someone at whose doorsteps they can knock for help with their grievances,” says Noor Ahmed of Topa Pir village. Three youths picked up from the village following the December 2023 killing of soldiers had died in the custody of security forces.
In Badnota village near Machedi, where militants ambushed an Army convoy killing five personnel in early July this year, the contesting candidates are going door-to-door. Among them is the BJP’s Jivan Lal, who is seeking re-election from Bani seat for the second time, says a local.
Gouri Shanker, who has stayed on in the race from Bani in Kathua district on the DPAP ticket, says the response from the people is “very good”.
The BJP’s Shakti Parihar calls the enthusiasm “higher than the 2014 Assembly polls”, talking about how villagers fall in and start walking with his entourage as he passes through, despite the hilly tracks. His constituency Doda West is a new one, carved out after delimitation from Doda, which he had won in 2014.
An official attributes the voter keenness both to the absence of local representatives on the ground for nearly 10 years as well as their awareness programmes. The Election Commission held rallies, seminars and corner meetings in the run-up to polls.
