Interrogating Basharat Peer’s Depiction of Human Rights Abuses by State Forces in Kashmir in Curfewed Night

Abstract

One of the most infamous allegations against the Indian government is its handling of the insurgency in Kashmir; that under the pretext of ensuring national security the Indian forces abused and violated the human rights of Kashmiri civilians. While such actions amount to being ‘crimes against humanity,’ but the national security laws provide the forces with legal impunity, and successive governments have denied any such human rights abuse. This has engendered an atmosphere of violence and uncertainty in Kashmir where civilians can be harassed, raped and killed anytime. In his memoir, Curfewed Night, Basharat Peer addresses these concerns vis-à-vis the Indian forces’ counter-insurgency operations and its effects on Kashmiris. By interrogating Peer’s depiction of the Indian counter-insurgency strategies, this paper argues that the text subverts the official government discourses on Kashmir and makes the global audience aware about how violence was used to suppress political dissent in Kashmir.