FranKophone

An oppressed woman looks beautiful to the eyes of its predator. She has the most perfect face one can ever imagine. In her eyes, she wears fear. She masks it with kohl. Her nose is held high, lest someone suspects. Her mouth is gagged. She never wails or attracts attention. Her body is marked, ridiculed and trampled upon. In the most remote corner of her heart, she has buried all her dreams and desires. She has lost hope, faith and soul.

She was changing sides on the bed. Trying hard to fall asleep. Everything was fine, she knew everything would be fine. There was a nagging thought though. Something on which she could not lay her finger on. Like a question. What had she done to deserve a good night’s sleep ? Images of the morning swept across her eyes. A random kid under someone’s wheels. The mourning wails, the confusion, negotiation. Maybe she should have done something. Something meaningful instead of making money. Did her money mean anything to children who die everyday ? She knew the answer but pretended not to. Instead, she popped in a few pills and waited for sleep to come. 

At forty-nine, this could not have happened. It was a different matter if she had been eighteen or even twenty-nine. She could not believe it. Nobody would. But that grotesque touch lingered. She let that pass and got off the bus.Maybe scarred and scared for the rest of her life.

                         The mere mention of armed forces evokes the image of courage, bravery and discipline in India. However, in north-east India and Jammu and Kashmir, the picture is vastly altered. Military force is synonymous with fear, brutality and suspicion. The main reason behind this contradictory public image is the “draconian” law, Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act. It has vested the armed forces with absolute power mainly to aid fight against terrorism and insurgency. Several unprovoked arrests, tortures, rapes and deaths go unnoticed under the wraps of AFSPA.Unmarked graves have been found in the valley. Fake encounters and disappearances make headlines.  At times, it is a case of mistaken identity. Violence in Jammu and Kashmir has increased since implementation of AFSPA in 1990. Similar incidents are reported from the north-eastern states.  Jeevan Reddy Commission (2005) had recommende...