Till Saturday, there was nothing special about suspended cop Abdul Ahad Jan’s spartan house in Ajas. On Sunday, hundreds of people were marching to it. Their slogan: Teri jaan, meri jaan, Ahad Jan. Ahad Jan.
Till Saturday, there was nothing special about suspended cop Abdul Ahad Jan’s spartan house in Ajas. On Sunday, hundreds of people were marching to it. Their slogan: Teri jaan, meri jaan, Ahad Jan. Ahad Jan.
Jan’s house has become the new address of the pro-azadi bandwagon. He is a hero for people who have been out on the streets of Kashmir for the past two months, pelting stones at policemen and venting their anger against “Indian rule”. Their clashes with policemen and the paramilitary have resulted in the deaths of 57 people.
Jan is also a hero because he has got the freedom movement more publicity in a day than protestors have done in two months.
And he’s done all this without picking up a stone. His “feat” has made people see Jan as a symbol of resistance in Kashmir.
His village too has been emboldened. Ever since news spread about shoe-gate, Ajas has been buzzing with pro-freedom slogans. Thousands of people have marched through the village on Sunday, demanding the right to self-determination.
Hundreds dropped in at Jan’s house to show solidarity with his family. Women huddled inside the house, chatting about the incident. Men were seen in the compound talking about Jan’s “gallantry”.
Jan’s family was not sorry because he had thrown a shoe at the chief minister. They were proud. “He did the right thing by hurling a shoe at him [Omar], given the situation in Kashmir. We have no other weapon we can hurl at the chief minister,” Jan’s nephew Gulzar Ahmad said. Jan’s family believes he had a strong reason to do whatever he did.
The brown show is the subject of debate and forwards, also on the internet. “The shocking incident reflects the anger within the police establishment over the situation in Kashmir,” said one netizen. “Let’s change our profile picture to this shoe..... What say?” said another.
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