The statement issued by Prem Nath Bazaz, spokesman of the Ad Hoc Committee of J & K Janata Party on 14 July 1977
The statement issued by Prem Nath Bazaz, spokesman of the Ad Hoc Committee of J & K Janata Party on 14 July 1977
"For the first time during the past thirty years the elections in Kashmir were contested by parties commanding public support on issues which deeply concerned the electorate. For once there was a serious challenge to the monopolistic leadership of Sheikh Abdullah and his party, National Conference, from secular-minded sections most of whom in the Valley consisted of Muslims, who had rallied under the banner of Janata Party. If ever politically-conscious Muslims were emotionally involved in pro-India movement they were those supporting Janata candidates in the elections.
"In March last when the State Congress Legislative Party withdrew its support to Abdullah government and the Sheikh was ousted from power he was an unpopular figure. Apart from the somersaults that he had turned on State's accession issue since 1947, the nepotism, corruption and misuse of power for which he was roundly blamed, he had lost support of the State people. The need of a new dynamic leadership which could be trusted to deliver goods was felt by large numbers of disillusioned persons.
With the announcement of the formation of Ad Hoc Committee of the J & K Janata Party under the leadership of the universally respected elderly statesman, Maulana Mohammad Sayed Masoodi, thousands of political workers defected from National Conference and Congress to join the new party. By the end of May Janata in Kashmir had become a force to be reckoned with; it was anti-Abdullah wave which was erroneously confused with Janata wave in the rest of the country, that made it so.
"Sheikh Abdullah at once recognised the seriousness of the situation. He made repeated attempts to form alliance with the central leadership of the Janata Party but failed. With the phenomenal growth of Kashmir Janata unit he became desperate and resorted to fascist methods to meet the challenge. He revived the almost forgotten slogan of plebiscite and gave a call for secession of the State from India if need be. Since minority communities like Shias. Hindus, and followers of Mirwaiz Farooq called Bakaras solidly supported Janata he inflamed Shia-Sunni, Hindu-Muslim and Sher-Bakara animosi ties. Above all, he roused religious hatred and base tribal passions of the Muslim masses against Janata Party. He publicly and repeatedly charged that Janata was Jan Sangh in a new grab the hands of whose leaders were soaked with Muslim blood. He accused Janata Muslim leaders of refraining from recitation of Koran at the beginning of public meetings. The National Conference workers went from door to door with the holy scripture in hand compelling Muslims to swear by it that they will vote for Conference candidates who will defend them against Hindu aggression and not for Janata men who stand for Hindu India with the ultimate aim of subjugating Muslims.
"Having thus poisoned the Muslim mind, Sheikh Abdullah organised a band of hooligans, convicted criminals and militant young men to terrorize opposition by violent acts. The Janata offices were raided, workers beaten, many injured, their houses ransacked and shops looted. Protests of Janata leaders proved unavailing, a voice in the wilderness.
"In the beginning of June anti-Abdullah were began to subside and anti-India wave took its place, Again, the people outside Kashmir were wrong and the Indian National Press mistaken to confuse it with Abdullah were. The anger against Abdullah's misdeeds existed but it was overshadowed by the hatred for India which had been systematically generated by the National Conference. Unfortunately the Muslim personnel of the Kashmir administration who were the foremost in condemning Abdullah a couple of months earlier, now became his supporters. The Kashmir Police condoned Conference rowdyism. For reasons unknown, Governor L.K. Jha adopted the same line and failed to maintain law and order when innumerable cases of monadism were brought to his notice.
"Still feeling his position insecure, Sheikh Abdullah feigned serious illness. Jha sounded alarm to the central leadership. that the "great hero" was breathing his last. Immediately came messages of sympathy from the highly placed including the Prime Minister Morarji Desai who was then in London. Forgetting the healthy tradition of the Indian Army to remain aloof from politics, two top ranking generals called at the "sick" man's house not only to pay their own homage but affection from rank and file. In the midst of a roughly fought election it gave a setback to the propaganda of the Janata Party. This was what Sheikh had desired to achieve. As subsequent events have proved he was never seriously ill but the central Janata leaders were taken in by the ruse played on them.
"The Conference rowdyism culminated on the black 3rd July when the elections were held in the Valley. Despite the pleadings of the Janata leaders no adequate police arrangements were made to inspire confidence in the average voter that he was safe to cast vote as he wished. In almost all constituencies disturbers of peace were let loose, polling agents of Janata candidates were humiliated and beaten in the presence of police and polling officials, many booths were captured by Conference men and false votes cast; thousands of Jananta supporters desisted from casting vote for fear of reprisals. The protests of Janata men were neither heard nor acknowledged. On counting day seals of many ballot boxes were found broken and the ballot papers tampered with. Frequently it was discovered that a number of ballot papers were folded together and put in the ballot boxes. In protest, many candidates withdrew their co-operation and retired from the counting tables.
"No sooner was the fake victory of the National Conference declared on 4th July than a reign of terror descended on the Valley. Though an order under Section 144 Cr. P.C. was promulgated by the Authority, big and small processions of hoodlums went round beating Janata men and women, tearing their clothes and robbing them of valuables; the Janata candidates and prominent workers became special targets of the hooligans. Hundreds of houses were pelted, windows and doors damaged; shops were looted and life of peaceful citizens made miserable. There was harassment on a large scale in the Valley. All Janata offices were ransacked, flags hauled down and burned along with the sign boards. Organisations such as Kashmir Motor Drivers Association were attacked, their property seized and their leaders forced to raise the Conference flags in place of the Janata flags. Some office bearers of the bodies were arrested to make room for pro-Conference men. Nearly a hundred Janata workers were injured in the process, some of them seriously.
"Afraid of danger to their lives, eighty-five families in Srinagar have evacuated their homes and taken shelter in safer areas; many of them are lodged in Islamia School. Though intimation has been received of such evacuation from other parts of the Valley, exact figures are not available.
"It is grim story of Sheikh Abdullah's "triumph" in the elections which have been declared as peaceful and orderly by the Indian Government and the national press.
"We demand the institution of a powerful commission to go into the sordid affair to find out the truth for the information of the nation to enable it to make a fair appraisal."