First time in Valley: No Tricolour at Lalchowk
Total shutdown, clashes with Police run parallel to colourful R-Day parades in Kashmir

AHMED ALI FAYYAZ

SRINAGAR, Jan 26: Notwithstanding colourful Republic Day parades at all district headquarters and major towns across the Valley, National Conference-led coalition government today achieved a dubious distinction as, for the first time in the last 20 years of the political turmoil, there was no unfurling of the national flag at Lalchowk. In response to a call from different separatist organizations, Kashmir observed near-total shutdown and groups of youngsters clashed with Police and paramilitary forces at several places in the summer capital and few other towns.

Hoisting the Tricolour on occasion of the R-Day at Lalchowk, nerve centre of the Valley’s trade and business, has gained considerable symbolic and psychological significance ever since BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi led a caravan of his party activists from different Indian states “to conquer Srinagar” in January 1992. Notwithstanding unprecedented tension, paramilitary forces had hoisted the national flag on the historic Lalchowk’s Clock Tower in 1990 and 1991. They did it with Joshi’s controversial morale boosting in 1992 and without that thereafter.

Most of the business centres at and around Lalchowk---Palladium Cinema, Punjab Hotel (twice), Gujarat Hotel (twice), Budshah Hotel, Standard Hotel, Taj Hotel---perished in the wake of guerrilla strikes and gunbattles between militants and security forces. Notwithstanding extreme hostile conditions, hoisting of the Tricolour never stopped on the Indian Independence Day (Aug 15th) and Republic Day (Jan 21) at Lalchowk in the last 20 years of turmoil.

With Police and security forces ironically enforcing Hurriyat’s and different militant outfit’s call of ‘civil curfew’ under the label of security arrangements for the ceremonial R-Day functions, there was near-total shutdown in entire Valley. Even the youngsters who used to play cricket on public parks and streets in the last over 10 years as pastime were nowhere visible in the capital city.

Even as there were no concertina wire barriers, excluding those in close vicinities of Bakhshi Memorial Sports Stadium---venue of the main R-Day function in Kashmir---, CRPF columns kept Lalchowk out-of-bounds for residents of Srinagar and did not allow any civilian movement through it. While returning from Divisional Commissioner’s R-Day at home at SKICC, none of the mediapersons, including this correspondent, were allowed to walk or drive through Lalchowk by the whitle blowing soldiers. Who or what they were protecting was not clear. Unusually, the monumental Bajaj Clock Tower was without a Tricolour atop it. And, as usual, the clock was asleep with both, hour and minute, hands paralyzed.

In a quick reaction to media reports, a Government spokesman issued a “clarification” from the seat of power in Jammu to offset the impression that the official machinery had surrendered before saboteurs and bought the piece. He sought to make it clear that hoisting of the national flag at Lalchowk was “never a state function”. ‘The local commandants of the Paramilitary Forces posted around Lal chowk have been hoisting the flag at Lal chowk on their own and this time the CRPF decided not to do it which was also their internal decision”, he said in the press release.

The spokesman further said that the State official function in Srinagar has always been held at Bakshi Stadium, Srinagar. “Today also the State official function was organized at Bakshi Stadium, where the Republic Day celebrations were held in tandem with the traditions and with the participation of nearly 8000 people. The State official functions were also held across the state at all the District head-quarters, Sub Divisional and Tehsil levels peacefully with great fervor and active participation of the public”, he asserted.

Reports gathered from different sources said that over a dozen civilians and Police personnel sustained injuries in ding dong clashed that marred the R-Day fervour in the capital city as also in the north Kashmir towns of Sopore and Baramulla. Though the number of stone pelting youth was not legion, their slogan shouting and clashes with Police and paramilitary troops froze the capital city for the whole day. Stone pelting has been a usual feature of anti-Government and anti-national demonstrations since June last year but an unusual manifestation on the R-Day which used to witness simply a shutdown in the last over a decade.

Reports said that during a clash with Police, a group of youth attempted to hoist a Pakistani flag in the downtown interior of Habbakadal. Maisuma, Gawkadal, Habbakadal, Fatehkadal, entire Nallal Mar Road from Khanyar to Cement Bridge, Safakadal, Nawakadal, Nawab Bazar and Batmaloo were the major trouble spots as the groups of masked youth maintained stone pelting with anti-India and pro-Azadi slogans and Police/ CRPF retaliated with firing of tearsmoke canisters and baton charge.

Authorities still looked upbeat as militants could not cause any major or minor disturbance to sabotage the R-Day celebrations anywhere in the Valley. Ceremonial parades and cultural programmes went on smoothly at the fortified venues at all the 10 district headquarters and other major towns where officials of different government departments and organizations had arranged modest attendance of select individuals, including activists of some pro-India political parties. Students of different government and private schools besides the artists of Information Department and Cultural Academy performed in the colourful cultural programmes at Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar and other district headquarters.
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