NEW DELHI: Demanding immediate withdrawal of the Army from Jammu and Kashmir, renowned author and Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy on Tuesday criticised the Indian media for failing to highlight the plight of the ordinary Kashmiris, who she said were being tormented and brutalised by security forces every day in the name of freedom and peace.

"Indian media is suffering from schizophrenia as its reports portray zero reflection about the reality in Jammu and Kashmir. Indian media is busy painting a rosy picture of normalcy, which is absolutely false," she said speaking at a meeting on "Enforced Disappearances in Jammu and Kashmir" here.

Stating that for every 15 Kashmiris, the Government has deployed at least one Army personnel, the author said: "We as Indians have no right to talk about whatever is happening in Palestine and Iraq unless we discuss and highlight the atrocities being committed in the Valley. The issue is not just related to the freedom of Kashmiris, it is a matter of concern for all Indians. What farcical peace are we talking about?"

She added:

"In the global arena, India is revered for its democracy and Gandhian values, which is nothing but a lie. Indian occupation in Jammu and Kashmir has surpassed the excesses of Pinochet in Chile.

``Everyday, ordinary Kashmiris are being subjected to humiliation, and we say peace is returning to the Valley. During my recent visit to the State, I found numerous cases of repression, but the Government is not ready to accept it."

The meeting, where academicians, social activists, human rights volunteers and students, including Kamal Mitra Chenoy, Tapan Bose, Bashir Ahmed, Uma Chakraborty, Sahba Hussain and Gautam Naulakha, were also present, also passed a resolution asking the Central Government to immediately form a "Commission on Disappearance" to find the missing persons.

It also demanded withdrawal of special powers from the Army and paramilitary forces and appealed to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to call a separate convention on disappeared people.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail