What is a state or who is a state? States are political constructs. States believe in impositions, states are notorious for using force. That use of force, can at times be, no-holds-barred. Well that never means the terror a state unleashes must not be spoken against. That never implies that we must not all stand up against the state power to fight for our rights as empowered citizens. But that also means that by holding state alone responsible for all `acts of violence' we shouldn't absolve ourselves of the crimes we commit on ourselves. It's not murder only, but suicide too that constitutes a violation of human right. The crime of selective morality is the one which opinion makers (the chattering class of the society) can be easily accused of. Explanations whatever but we stand in the dock.
What we have been unfortunately witnessing in Kashmir is the polarization of crime which is dangerously dividing human blood into two colours. Like two political camps which we popularly accept as `mainstream' and `separatist', the perspectives to a human tragedy are  also consequently becoming `mainstreamist' or `separatistic' (to make a compulsive combination of words. (Notwithstanding the difference between state terror and an individual criminal act, the question of our collective consciousness is valid in all circumstances). The state literally quelled June 2010 uprising in Kashmir. They had bullets to silence those who threw stones till their version of calm was restored. If cases were registered against non-state actors, did the same apply to state-owned regulatory bodies. The answers are bitter. As long as we enjoy being into this crazy habit of selective condemnations, we will be the biggest perpetrators of violence. Whoever we are, and whichever side we belong to.
Why the violation of same nature and enormity entails two sets of responses? One uncontrollably explosive, and the other tolerably tepid. This political classification of human rights as `theirs' and `ours' has made us suffer. That is where the truth of human rights turns a propaganda where you present your version of the story ignoring or manipulating the other. Violations committed by state on people are not to be set against, but seen alongside the violations committed by people on people. After all it's a human right and humans have rights behind political loyalties and backgrounds.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 26 Jan 2013 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 26 Jan 2013 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 27 Jan 2013 00:00:00 IST