Pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi getting down from a petals-strewn vehicle to a grand welcome by his colleagues at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters on 13 September triggered a social media firestorm. Users shared pictures and videos of the G20 success celebrations — along with those of grieving family members and colleagues of three Army and police officers killed by militants early that day at Kokernag in southern Kashmir’s Anantnag district. Modi’s fiery speeches against opposition parties from poll-bound Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh gave his detractors more ammunition.
The PM chose not to say a word of condemnation or condolence related to the Anantnag killings. Incidentally, the day these officers were killed, the Prime Minister’s Office posted three tweets in three different languages to offer condolences—and ex gratia payments—to families of 11 pilgrims who were killed in a road accident in poll-bound Rajasthan.
Modi-bashers and the BJP’s political adversaries had a field day, with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asking, “Don’t you feel the grief?”
The PM’s silence on Kokernag incident did seem insensitive and strange, but his spin doctors didn’t have to go silent. They could have spun it by saying that he doesn’t have to react publicly all the time because his actions speak louder. Nine years of power has ostensibly brought complacency, if not indifference, to his communications managers.
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Changing Kashmir
Some other striking visuals from Kashmir on 13 September went unnoticed — civilians carried out candlelight marches across the Kashmir Valley to pay homage to the Kokernag martyrs. Greater Kashmir reported about the Kupwara march: “The protesters proceeded through towns and villages attracting a large and diverse crowd of people. The atmosphere was sombre and the silence was profound as participants holding flickering candles walked in unison paying their respect to the fallen heroes. Many held placards with messages of condolence, patriotism and appreciation for the Indian army and J&K police.”
When was the last time you read such news after our soldiers were killed by militants? Yes, Kashmir is changing. Incidents like the Kokernag one indicate a growing desperation among those across the border. When Jammu & Kashmir’s special status was revoked on 5 August 2019, there were doomsayers everywhere. They’ve been proved wrong — and home ministry statistics are revealing. From 2 October 2016 to 4 August 2019, 959 acts of terror were carried out. The figure came down to 654 — a 32 per cent reduction — between 5 August 2019 and 6 June 2022. Three years before the invalidation of Article 370 and the corresponding period after that shows significant improvements, The Indian Express reported that the deaths of civilians and security personnel went down by 14 per cent and 52 per cent, respectively.
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L-G Manoj Sinha’s healing touch
These figures show how successfully Indian security forces have put down attempts from across the border to create trouble in the region. The civilian administration, led by Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha, has done a commendable job in creating a favourable environment for managing external threats. Let’s look at another data set.
In 2022, 1.88 crore tourists visited the Union territory. The figure is expected to go up to 2.25 crore this year, Sinha said at a function last month.
Highways and tunnel projects worth Rs 1.5 lakh crore are underway.
Till 2021, investments worth Rs 13,000-14,000 crore came to J&K. Today, investments worth Rs 26,000 crore are “on the ground” and Rs 75,000-80,000 crore are expected in the next two years.
A mega mall with an area of 10 lakh sq ft is being constructed in Srinagar by Dubai-based Emaar group. It is set to be the biggest shopping complex in North India.
The J&K administration is the first in the country to cover every family under a health insurance scheme of Rs 5 lakh. It is spending Rs 2 crore daily on treatment under this initiative.
These numbers may read like another advertisement by a state or UT administration. But it takes a lot more to achieve it in Kashmir. Sinha said in an interview with ThePrint last month that there was a time when terrorists used to call for bandhs in Kashmir — school bandh, college bandh, trade bandh, and what not. “Those days are gone. People have got used to living on their own terms. You will see young people holding musical concerts till late at night, just like you see in Western countries,” he said. In September 2022, the L-G had inaugurated an INOX multiplex in Srinagar — a first in three decades. At 4 pm on Sunday, I tried to book a ticket online for the 5 pm show of Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan and I found that all Royale and Royale Club seats were sold out. Only two out of 76 seats in the Club category were available. In the executive class, however, 28 out of 38 tickets were available — the cheapest at Rs 350. At 450 pm, all but three of total 178 seats were sold out.
When PM Modi sent Sinha to Srinagar as L-G in August 2020, he was sending a message: He wanted a politician who could provide a healing touch, not a retired bureaucrat or retired general who would grease the wheels of administration. Fifty-three years after Karan Singh relinquished the Governor’s post, Sinha became only the second politician to occupy it (as L-G now). His predecessor Satya Pal Malik’s 14-month tenure was largely ceremonial.
Sinha has carried out the PM’s briefs rather commendably. His biggest contribution has been to bring Delhi closer to Srinagar and make people realise that Article 370 was a notional privilege. Many were surprised when they saw the L-G attending the 10th Muharram procession in Srinagar in July 2023. “It’s my responsibility as the head of the State to participate in the affairs of the people of all faiths. If I go for Amarnath Yatra, I have to go for Muharram procession, too,” the L-G told me. These gestures have worked. No one in the Valley is complaining about the administration’s initiative to renovate so many temples because Sinha is revamping mosques and gurdwaras, too.
There is not a day when the L-G is not out on tour, travelling by road despite the risks. “Whatever is written in my fate will happen. What Modi ji has tasked me with has to be done,” he told me. His push for sports tournaments has drawn out lakhs of enthusiastic youth in the UT. Thousands come out to avail themselves of schemes that give financial incentives for entrepreneurship. That he has been able to connect with the youth was evident when a Muslim girl recently met him to complain that Indian philosophy was not being taught in colleges and universities.
The nullification of Article 35A had raised apprehensions in J&K about ‘outsiders’ changing the demography of the Valley. Four years since then, those apprehensions have subsided. “It was more of a propaganda. When it comes to agricultural land, [the] people of Himachal and Uttarakhand have special rights. So have the people of J&K. Land is given for industries, schools, colleges, and hospitals only,” Sinha said.
Travel around in Kashmir today. The bitterness one sensed in the Kashmiris’ tone in 2019, 2020, and 2021 is no longer acute. They’re willing to engage. It’s time to go for elections and let Kashmiris demand the same commitment and accountability from political representatives. Let the next CM, Abdullah or Mufti, prove that they care and can do better.
DK Singh is Political Editor at ThePrint. Views are personal.
(Edited by Humra Laeeq)