Srinagar:
The images that have come to define Kashmir this past month are those of angry, young men clashing with security forces. Hurling stones. In a self-image, they sometimes say, that is borrowed from the historic pictures of Palestinian protestors.
The genesis of the present crisis perhaps began with what has come to be known as the intractable challenge of the Valley's stone-pelters. Today, the curfew has pushed all of them indoors and the streets are so silent and bare, Srinagar seems like a city waiting to exhale.
Stone-pelters have come to dominate public debate in Kashmir. The protestors say it is a legitimate form of protest and the security forces say the mobs are so provocative, they have no option but to retaliate. Either way, caught between the battle lines, are the forgotten stories of the victims.
In a downtown Srinagar house, heartbreak and mourning almost have a physical presence. It is the house of 17-year-old Toufail Ahmed Matoo, who would have celebrated his birthday this month. An only child, Toufail was killed on his way back from a tuition class. He was caught in a clash between protesters and security forces.
The police have promised an internal inquiry, and after initial medical reports, said death was because of a teargas shell. Some say it was Toufail's death that sparked off this month-long crisis.
His parents are devastated. Toufail's father clutches his son's picture and says it is these incidents that bring even more stone-pelters out on the streets. "These are young men... angry...they don't understand...if these things happen, of course young men will be angry," he says.
On the walls of their house, posters demand justice and truth, and on the window sills lie placards that say "wake up" - a plea for someone to listen.
Across the city, at the opposite end, members of the paramilitary forces say that while they have been vilified, they too suffer. They argue that in the last month alone, 200 soldiers have been injured by stones thrown at them.
They point to broken window panes in their bullet-proof bunkers and say their vehicles can withstand bullets, but are not effective against stones. One officer describes how big the stones are.
In the camp's hospital, a soldier talks about losing his tooth. His jaw was broken and he lost the tooth when a stone hit him in his face. Then there is Constable Sunil Pawar who has lost sight in one eye. A stone ripped through his cornea.
Like always, it's the human story of pain that is so tragic in Kashmir. No matter on which side of the divide...
The genesis of the present crisis perhaps began with what has come to be known as the intractable challenge of the Valley's stone-pelters. Today, the curfew has pushed all of them indoors and the streets are so silent and bare, Srinagar seems like a city waiting to exhale.
Stone-pelters have come to dominate public debate in Kashmir. The protestors say it is a legitimate form of protest and the security forces say the mobs are so provocative, they have no option but to retaliate. Either way, caught between the battle lines, are the forgotten stories of the victims.
In a downtown Srinagar house, heartbreak and mourning almost have a physical presence. It is the house of 17-year-old Toufail Ahmed Matoo, who would have celebrated his birthday this month. An only child, Toufail was killed on his way back from a tuition class. He was caught in a clash between protesters and security forces.
The police have promised an internal inquiry, and after initial medical reports, said death was because of a teargas shell. Some say it was Toufail's death that sparked off this month-long crisis.
His parents are devastated. Toufail's father clutches his son's picture and says it is these incidents that bring even more stone-pelters out on the streets. "These are young men... angry...they don't understand...if these things happen, of course young men will be angry," he says.
On the walls of their house, posters demand justice and truth, and on the window sills lie placards that say "wake up" - a plea for someone to listen.
Across the city, at the opposite end, members of the paramilitary forces say that while they have been vilified, they too suffer. They argue that in the last month alone, 200 soldiers have been injured by stones thrown at them.
They point to broken window panes in their bullet-proof bunkers and say their vehicles can withstand bullets, but are not effective against stones. One officer describes how big the stones are.
In the camp's hospital, a soldier talks about losing his tooth. His jaw was broken and he lost the tooth when a stone hit him in his face. Then there is Constable Sunil Pawar who has lost sight in one eye. A stone ripped through his cornea.
Like always, it's the human story of pain that is so tragic in Kashmir. No matter on which side of the divide...
