On December 20, a student of Jammu Government Medical College was allegedly molested by the Head of the Department, Forensic Sciences GMC in the winter capital.? While the incident outraged people of her native Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir regions have been silent.
However, from politicians to students to clerics, everyone raised their voice in unity against the molestation. It seems that had Ladakh not reacted to the incident with full force and unity, the case would have been conveniently swept under the carpet. Despite a FIR being registered, the government avoided taking any action for almost a week.
It was only after senior legislators from Ladakh region including Nawang Rigzin Jora, Asgar Karbalai, Aga Syed Baqir and Deldan Namgyal discussed the matter with Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti that her government?took any action.
The Jammu administration has ordered an inquiry and placed the accused under suspension. But various groups, including students and scholars from Ladakh, made sure that nothing other than termination of the accused’s service will be acceptable.
Cutting across individual, religious and political ideologies, the protesting people have shown an exemplary unity for the cause of a woman. But what prevented the people of other two regions from showing concern over the victim? Is molestation a regional concern for the people of the same state, where Jammu should be silent over the pain of Kashmir?
On January 5, the Ladakhi students studying at GMC Srinagar held a rally in the summer capital. Shouldn’t others in Kashmir have joined them? Do we have to be selective in showing concern on such human issues?
Prof Hameedah Nayeem, a prominent academician and civil society activist in Kashmir, however, has a?different take on the issue. She says there has been no bias. “It’s not being selective that we didn’t react. We do condemn it in hardest terms. But the problem is that condemnations are not effective, they don’t make any difference because such things now happen almost every day,” she told InUth.
