Know about Kishtawar, once an oasis of communal harmony

New Delhi: Kishtawar is a remote place in Jammu and Kashmir. While the place was recently in the news for communal violence, Kishtwar was the only town in India which was peaceful in terms of communal harmony during Partition. Even at the height of communal frenzy that accompanied the Partition in 1947, when some two hundred thousand people were slaughtered elsewhere in the Jammu division, Kishtwar remained an island of peace, so its Hindu and Muslim denizens proudly relate.Joint patrols were conducted by Hindu and Muslim youth at night to defend the town from possible outside agent provocateurs.The town has a history of communal unity. The town is known for its shared religious spaces, mixed cultural lives, cosmopolitan culture and bonding between the two communities. The beautiful place has derived its name from the Kishat Rishi who stayed there. In the ancient period, Kishtwar was called Kashthavata. Kishtwar has been referred to as Kasthavata in Rajatrangini, which is a metrical historical chronicle of north-western Indian subcontinent, particularly the kings of Kashmir, written in Sanskrit by Kashmiri Brahman Kalhana in 12th century CE.It was called so during the reign of Raja Kalsa of Kashmir (A.D. 1063-89). An interesting point to note about the place is the fact that the patron saint of Kishtwar is Hazrat Shah Farid-ud-Din Baghdadi — a Sufi saint who is known to have spread Islam in this area — whose shrine is revered equally by Muslims and Hindus.His Hindu Rajput wife has a special mention on it and remembered by both the communities. Also revered is his son, Hazrat Shah Asrar-ud-Din Baghdadi, who is said to have miraculously revived his Hindu friend after he had died. One of the prominent places of the town is a memorial with three graves and two samadhis. Five students — three Muslims and two Hindus — were killed in the early 1980s while agitating for a college. Ziarat Zain-Shah-Sahib, Farid-ud-Din Sahib, Hazrat Asrar-ud-Din Sahib, Athara Bhuja Devi temple, Chandi Mata temple and Hatta Wali Matta are some places which are great attraction for tourists.However, things began to change in the early 1990s when the town was under precedent violence perpetrated by the Kashmiri militants and Pakistan terrorists. Shops are now closed in the early afternoons, just before the night curfew began. From evening onwards the town wore a desolated, ghostly look. The streets were empty, save for patrolling soldiers and cows and dogs munching in garbage heaps. It was the selective killing of Hindus by militants and the creation of Village Defence Committees (VDCs) that created tensions between the two communities.The first such selective killing took place in 1993, when 17 Hindus were killed in Sarthal near Kishtwar. Successive selective killings followed in the erstwhile district of Doda, including in Kishtwar, especially in the period between 1996 and 2001. The concept of self-defence by forming VDCs and arming the villagers was initiated as most of the communal killings were taking place in remote areas that could not be covered by the army. However, the VDCs were also selective in their composition. Most of the VDCs were formed in majority Hindu areas. This, coupled with the application of the Disturbed Areas Act, polarized the responses of the Hindus and Muslims. While the Hindus, feeling vulnerable and targeted by the militants, found some relief in the idea of VDCs, the Muslims feared the arming of one community as a potential danger to themselves.On 9th August, 2013, clashes were reported again in the town after Eid festival. Two Muslims and a Hindu after rioting broke out on Eid. Trouble started after a group of villagers from Hullar marched towards Eidgah raising pro-freedom and anti-India slogans. As the protesters were on way to join Eid prayers at the historic Chowgan ground, some of them entered into an alteration with a few youth from the other community at Kuleed.Some anti-social elements picked up a fight in Kishtwar which turned violent and caused further disturbance to the large gathering on the occasion of Eid festival and as result of a rumour mongering the incident spread to other parts of the city where anti-social elements looted shops and indulged in arson.Despite this, the situation is still not worse. At the societal level, bonds between people have not lessened. Hindu families are still living in the town.