New Year Starts With New Killing
Altaf Ahmed Sood, a 12th grade student who lost his life on spot after he was shot in the chest.
When the entire world was celebrating the arrival of New Year 2012, Kashmiris mourned the death of another young boy. The entire world starts its new year with a hope that the coming year will be better than the past but in Kashmir each year witnesses more killings than the last.
Altaf Ahmed Sood, a 12th grade student was killed and two others injured when Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel guarding the installations of National Hydel Power Corporation (NHPC), opened fire to disperse protesters agitating over power shortage in north Kashmir’s Boniyar area of Baramulla district. The incident took place on 2nd January, 2012.
Kashmir is blessed with rivers which produce electricity much more than is required by the entire State still there are power cuts which last up to sixteen hours every day in temperatures as low as -15 degree Celsius.
The protests for power cuts took place in the area where three big power houses generate more than 500 MW of electricity. An electricity schedule drawn up by the Power Development Department provides this area only six to eight hours of power per day. With winter at its peak, this had sparked protests.
All the newspapers reported that Altaf was not a part of the protest and was killed on way to his tuition classes. Another innocent lost his life. It is not new to Kashmir. Every year young innocent Kashmiris lose their lives and with each life lost Kashmiris lose their hopes and their dreams of a better future.
When NHPC started its first power project in Boniyar area it promised locals round the clock electricity. Along with the passage of time NHPC from a small company turned into a power giant by deriving power from the resources which actually belong to people of Kashmir.
This incident is a small example of the larger tragedy of Kashmir. When we demand our rights, we get bullets. When we raise our voices, we are forced to shut up.
Nida Rafiq Shiekh
