Chowgam Ground which turned into a battlefield on Eid day
Cinders of August 9 flames in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar tell the story of mayhem in the mountainous town. Even 11 days after the violence, Kishtwar is still under curfew. A no go area for the media in the aftermath of the clashes, NDTV finally managed to enter the small town only to discover that the anger is not entirely communal, but actually directed at the administration that acted too slowly.
"The government is at fault. They did not act in time and impose curfew," said Ghulam Hassan Munshi of Shaheedi Mohalla in Kishtwar.
Jaya Lal Shan, a respected lawyer from Kishtwar, believes that it was the government's inaction that turned a scuffle between two individuals into a communal riot. "Had they acted against the two people who were fighting, there would not any problem if both the guys were arrested," he said.
The government says a judicial probe has already been ordered and it will look into all the allegations of complicity on the part of administration.
"Very shortly a proper investigation, a full-fledged investigation into the matter is going to be conducted. So at that time the eye witnesses and persons who are desirous of involving themselves with the investigation process, they will be educing evidence and support of their contention," said Baseer Khan, District Magistrate of Kishtwar.
Over the weekend, a ministerial team held talks with representatives of the two communities to defuse tensions between them but these efforts were defeated by the political rhetoric - both the J&K government and the BJP made announcements of the body count on the basis of their religious affiliations triggering a full-blown battle in Parliament.
But away from Delhi's politics, in Kishtwar, even the local administration admits that a minor altercation snowballed into a riot.
"A motorcyclist passed through the people offering Namaz... two people were hit there. Some people thrashed the motorcyclist there. Later, he got some other friends who pelted stones on people offering Namaz,'' said Ashkoor Wani, DIG Doda region.
For six months, Kishtwar was without a district police chief. On August 9, when violence erupted, Kishtwar had a new officer, who was not familiar with the region. In fact, 90 per cent of policemen posted in Kishtwar were local residents who are now accused of inaction by both communities.
The police have already arrested 15 people including a policeman for inciting riots and are investigating 300 others .But locals here blame VDCs - a civilian militia - once set up to take on the militants but have now become a law unto themselves.
Days after the clashes as the town struggles to return to normalcy, strong voices of peace have emerged from the Chowgam Ground where violence started on Eid congregation. "My heart is saying that we can live together once again," said Madan Lal.
In Kishtwar, Chowgam Ground has been the symbol of communal harmony for centuries. It is in this ground Hindus cremate their dead and Muslims offer funeral prayers. Here Muslims offer Eid prayers and Hindus perform Chaddi Pujan for Macchil yatra. The same ground was turned into a battlefield on Eid day. What remains to be seen is whether both communities will forget the bitterness and respect sanctity and spirit of this ground and live together once again.