Outlook English - Print Subscribers Copy Outlook English, 19 March 2018 | Page 18
R A ZOR’ S ED GE
OPINI ON
A FOOT IN THE
BHARAT
BHUSHAN
Lives lost, cattle killed, homes and livelihoods destroyed—traum
W
HILE the government in New Delhi
talks tough about pounding Pakistan
across the border for its terrorist activ-
ities in Jammu and Kashmir, the peo-
ple caught in the crossfire have a
different message for Prime Minister
Narendra Modi.
“By all means, give munh tod jawab ( jaw-break-
ing reply) to Pakistan, but please do it from Delhi
or Mumbai. Why should we pay the price?” asks
Sukhdev Singh, sarpanch of Ganiah village on the
Line of Control (LoC) in Nowshera.
There are 23 villages of the Nowshera subdivi-
sion of Rajouri district that are adjacent to the
LoC. With a population of around 25,000, these
villages live in constant fear of being hit by
mortar shells and sniper fire—and, of late, by
artillery shells.
From Ganiah village, just 1.5 km from the LoC,
one can clearly see the Indian border post on a
hilltop opposite. Mortar shells which miss the
Indian army post hit the village, sending villagers
rushing into the seven bunkers that the govern-
ment has built for them.
“We mostly get mortar shells and 120mm artil-
lery gun fire,” says Sukhdev Singh, who retired
from the Indian Army. “We have seen so much fir-
ing that everyone knows the calibre of the shells.
Adversity has made half-soldiers out of the farm-
ers. But this cannot go on. While individual or
community bunkers do provide some sense of
security, they are not the solution,” he says.
The villagers see themselves as permanent
collateral victims of India-Pakistan tensions, hav-
ing faced bullets and mortar shells in every war
with Pakistan. Since January this year, villages
that have been affected by shelling include
Pukharni, Sair Makri, Bhawani, Khamba, Kalal,
Ganaih and Khori.
Between 2017 and 2018, cross-LoC firing has
caused four civilian deaths, eight have been inj
ured, 124 houses damaged, 189 cattle killed and 98
injured. Three school buildings, one panchayat
building and one cattle shed have been destroyed.
Numerous water tanks, transformers, electric
poles and transmission lines have also been dam-
18 OUTLOOK 19 March 2018
Villagers
consider
themselves
as collateral
victims of
India-
Pakistan
tensions,
having faced
bullets and
shells in
every war.
aged. Since January 9, 71 schools within a five km
distance of the LoC have been shut down.
The situation is no different in Rajouri town and
in the sub-districts of Manjakote and Sundarbani.
When the firing persists, villagers are evacuated to
temporary camps set up in government schools.
The evacuees have formed a LoC Border Migrants
Committee. Purshottam Lal, a representative of the
committee from Khamba village, says, “For two
years our people have been living in camps off and
on. As a result, our children’s education and our fin
ancial condition have been affected. Small busi-
nesses like cattle-rearing or running a dairy are