Kashmiri PhD scholar writes open letter, justifies move to join militancy
A PhD scholar-turned-militant, Mannan Wani had gone missing from AMU in January this year and has now resurfaced as a militant.
Mannan Wani, a PhD scholar who went missing in January and later surfaced on social media after joining the ranks of militants, has written about why he chose to join the separatist movement in Kashmir.
The 26-year-old research student of Applied Geology at Aligarh Muslim University had gone missing in January only to appear on social media holding a grenade launcher. In a letter mailed on Monday to CNS, a local news agency, Wani describes himself as a former PhD scholar from the AMU and currently a member of Hizbul Mujahideen.
CNS uploaded the letter on its website but later took it down.
Throughout the letter, Wani talks about India ‘manufacturing narratives’ and ‘circulating new discourses’ to justify its ‘presence’ in Jammu and Kashmir”.
The letter talks about creating an environment of peace and justice wherein every thought and ideology would be discussed and debated and people will be given their right to chose whatever they like.
The letter comes at a time when the Jammu and Kashmir police is cracking down on people glorifying militancy in the state. It recently detained 13 teachers of a private school in north Kashmir’s Baramulla for allegedly glorifying militancy and motivating students to become militants, officials with knowledge of the case said.
Eleven teachers were released after stern warning and intervention from senior citizens.
A Srinagar-based official in the security forces said the state police had been asked to identify and act against people making provocative speeches at gatherings, glorifying the “sacrifices” of the dead militants. The police will also take measures to keep these gatherings from not becoming too large, this person added on condition of anonymity.
DGP, J&K, SP Vaid said he did not want to react to Wani’s letter. When asked that militants have also released a group photo, Vaid said: “We’ll deal with them. If you pick up gun you are taking to violence, it has to be dealt under law.