Do You Remember Kunan Poshpora?

Do You Remember Kunan Poshpora? is a 2016 non-fiction book authored by five Kashmiri women: Essar Batool, Ifrah Butt, Munaza Rashid, Natasha Rather and Samreena Mushtaq.[1] The book concerns the 1991 mass rape by Indian security forces and is part of a series on "Sexual Violence and Impunity in South Asia" published by Zubaan Books and supported by the International Development Research Centre.[2][3][4] The book was officially released at the Jaipur Literature Festival.[5][6]

Do You Remember Kunan Poshpora?
AuthorsEssar Batool, Ifrah Butt, Munaza Rashid, Natasha Rather and Samreena Mushtaq
LanguageEnglish
PublisherZubaan Books
Pages228
ISBN978-93-84757-66-3

Inspired by the public reaction to the Nirbhaya gang rape in December 2012,[7][8] the five Kashmiri authors chronicle the night of 23/24 February 1991[9][10] in Kupwara district in the neighboring villages of Kunan and Poshpora,[11] where the 68th Mountain Brigade of the 4th Rajputana Rifle[12][13] killed several male members[14] and allegedly raped a number of women. The Kunan Poshpora incident is the second time the Indian Army has been accused of "mass sexual violence",[6] the first one is the mass rape accusation on Indian Army's IPKF against Tamil girls in Sri lanka[15] ( Indian Army faces rape allegations in North Eastern States[16]) The authors themselves lobbied the government to reopen the investigation of the incident, which was done in 2013.[4][17]

Description

The book is divided into seven chapters. The first chapter is about the overall role that women have played in the resistance movement in Kashmir.[2] This is followed by each of the authors penning down what they personally remember of the incident. The next two chapters lay out the background of what was happening in Kashmir at the time.[2] Here the authors analyze a police case diary, statements to the State Human Rights Commission and the interviews of the authors with those in the village. The book is the first extensive interaction with the alleged victims. The fourth chapter portrays the lives of the two villages today. The fifth chapter covers the official information on the case where the authors criticize the Verghese report by the Press Council of India team which had concluded that the incident was a hoax.[2][18] The sixth chapter goes on to reconstruct the events of that night through first person interviews. The seventh and last chapter of the book narrates the struggle by the survivors and authors to get justice including a public interest litigation in 2013.[2][17][19]

February 23 is now known as ‘Kashmiri Women’s Resistance Day’.[20][21]

Critical reception

The book has been seen as the ability of Kashmiri women to tell their own story, lead the discourse, and show resistance.[2] The new information, the interviews with the people of Kunan and Poshpora, as well as the case diary which the authors have brought into the public domain also add to the value of the book.[3]

The authors faced numerous hurdles in conducting a book launch.[22] A seminar in Ambedkar University in which one of the authors was due to speak was cancelled for fear of violence.[23]

See also

References
  1. "5 Kashmiri women bring back focus on Kunan-Poshpora mass rape". Greater Kashmir. 2016-02-23. Retrieved 2020-05-09.
  2. R, Viswesh (2016-06-19). "Book Review: Do You Remember Kunan Poshpora?". Feminism In India. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  3. Muneer, Shah Munnes (2020-03-07). "Book Review: Do You Remember Kunan Poshpora". Countercurrents. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  4. Maqbool, Majid (6 May 2016). "Making the state answer for its crimes". The Hindu @businessline. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  5. Yasir, Sameer (7 March 2017). "Harbingers of hope: On Women's Day, salute these five angels of change in Kashmir". Firstpost. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  6. "Kunan Poshpora: A forgotten mass-rape case of 2 Kashmir villages". Hindustan Times. 2016-02-08. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  7. Sarkar, Urvashi (24 December 2016). "Kashmir: A look at the Kunan Poshpora rapes". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  8. "Book on Kunan Poshpora incident released". Tribuneindia News Service. 23 February 2016. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  9. "Do you Remember Kunan Poshpora?". The University of Chicago Press Books. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  10. Ali, Muddasir (2016-02-24). "Do You Remember Kunan-Poshpora?". Greater Kashmir. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  11. "Do you remember Kunan Poshpora? - Ifrah Butt on Kashmiri Women's Resistance". CJP. 2018-04-13. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  12. Wilson, Amrit (26 January 2017). "On India's Republic Day, we must remember Kunan Poshpora". Open Democracy. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  13. Chandani, Priyanka (2019-03-08). "Voices from the Valley". The Asian Age. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  14. Ganai, Naseer (31 January 2016). "5 Kashmiri women pen Kunan Poshpora struggle". India Today. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  15. https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab3c86.html
  16. https://thewire.in/culture/rape-security-forces-afspa
  17. Manecksha, Freny (24 April 2016). "Review: Giving Voice to the Silenced Case of Kunan Poshpora". The Wire. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  18. R, Viswesh (2016-06-19). "Book Review: Do You Remember Kunan Poshpora?". Feminism In India. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  19. Punwani, Jyoti (23 February 2018). "Do you remember Kunan Poshpora?". Mumbai Mirror. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  20. Scully, Mary (15 February 2017). "Do you remember Kunan Poshpora? - Pakistan Today". www.pakistantoday.com.pk. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  21. APP (2020-02-24). "World should speak up for women of held Kashmir, says PM Imran". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  22. Naqash, Rayan. "Kashmir police refuse to allow event to mark alleged mass rapes by Army men 26 years ago". Scroll.in. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  23. "Fearing DU like violence, Ambedkar varsity postpones event on Kashmir". Press Trust of India. 26 February 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2020.

Bibliography
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