Women Allege Eve-Teasing by Security Forces in Kashmir

Recently in Srinagar: The lockdown in Kashmir has reached 60 days today with the abrogation of Article 370, which gave special powers to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Amidst the lockdown, there are several reports of mass detentions and torture by the forces with women bearing the brunt of the unprecedented powers vested on the security forces. 

As one travels through the state from Srinagar to the villages of South Kashmir, there is a common thread that runs through -- the stories of eve teasing by security forces narrated by women. Some of them alleged they were filmed as they walked down the streets by the men in uniform, while many others reported the use of cuss words and threats of sexual assault. 

Zikra, a teenager from Heff village in South Kashmir, says: “All of my friends have migrated to other places. Families are sending young girls away because of the threat from security forces. Many have fled to Jammu, some even to Delhi. I am also trying to figure out a plan to escape. I don’t want to face sexual assault. When we come out of our homes, we are filmed and stared at. This scares me and makes me uncomfortable.” 

Ghazia* from a village in Shopian, the apple district, said, “Our orchards are right at the back, but I can’t go there unless there are about 10-12 people with me. My family members have been tortured, but we as women are having to endure psychological trauma and humiliation. We are called names as we walk down the streets. There is constant fear that something will happen to me.”

Highlighting the changed scenario in the Valley, Ghazia added: “Prior to the abrogation of Article 370 too, the security forces enjoyed enormous powers and we felt threatened, but the situation is not the same anymore. We now have no mechanism to report this violence against us. It feels like absolute chaos, nobody is answerable.” 

Women in Kashmir, which has witnessed decades of conflict, have continuously been the victims of physical, psychological, and cultural violence as well as economic inequalities. There have been reports alleging a range of atrocities they face -- from eve-teasing to rape, and physical violence to murder. These threats are now becoming more evident than ever before. 

Yasmin* in her early twenties, who lives in Soura, a hotspot of protests, said: “This (the threats of violence) is ever so common for us. It doesn’t shock us anymore but still scares us. When I walk with my cousins, the security forces tease us and even record us while we walk. The experience of just stepping out of our houses is torturous.”

She added, “Some women were  detained and thrashed, but we are more worried about sexual harassment and assault.” 

Speaking with NewsClick, on the sidelines of a protest in Srinagar, *Tabinda Wani, 17, said: “The mentality of conquest by the State becomes clear in their motives to marry us or ‘acquire’ us. We will never let this happen. They think we are some naive dolls, but we are anything but that.” 

After the abrogation of Article 370,  a number of politicians belongingto the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made sexist comments directed towards Kashmiri women. On August 10, Manohar Lal Khattar, chief minister of Haryana, was quoted as saying: "Some people are now saying that as Kashmir is open, brides will be brought from there. But jokes apart, if [the gender] ratio is improved, then there will be a right balance in society."

Earlier, BJP's Vikram Saini, a Member of the Haryana Assembly, said: "Muslim party workers should rejoice in the new provisions. They can now marry white-skinned women of Kashmir." These statements reflect how women of Kashmir are objectified on a daily basis in India.

The Indian forces have previously been accused of sexual assault in Kashmir. On February 23, 1991, as India carried out a large military operation, soldiers allegedly raped over 30 women in two villages, Kunan and Poshpora. The Indian Army has denied the allegations. However, the United Nations noted that: "There has been no progress in the Kunan Poshpora mass-rape case from 1991, and authorities continue to thwart attempts of the survivors to get justice." It had called upon India to "investigate and prosecute all cases of sexual violence allegedly perpetrated by state and non-state actors, and provide reparations to victims".

Newsclick had previously reported instances of increasing violence against women in the state and how women were now becoming targets of harassment and abuse by the security forces. They are being used as tools to teach a lesson to the community to ensure that the protests are kept in check and all voices of dissent are silenced. 

Read More: Women Face Wrath of Security Forces in Kashmir’s Soura