By: Garima Pundir
मथि पहाडूबटी, निस गंगाड़ुबटी, इस्कुल दफ़्तर गौं बजार बटि
मनख्यूंकिडारधार बटि, हिटणलग्यांछन हिटणलग्यांछन, बैठणाको लग नी
बाटा भर्यांछन सड़क्य़ुंमां जगानी
दिदा कखजाणा.., भैजि कखजाणा छां तुम लोग?
उत्तराखंड आंदोलन म……….
(From the Mountains on top, from the Ganga at bottom, from the schools, offices and villages
A crowd of people are walking and walking, they don’t have time to sit
The streets are filled with people, roads left with no spaces
O Brother, where are you going…?
-To Uttarakhand Andolan…)
The streets of Uttarakhand region in Uttar Pradesh echoed with songs, slogans and people rallying for demands of a separate state. With slogans such as“Dilli paas, Lucknow door, nahi chahiye yeh dastoor” (Delhi near, Lucknow far, we don’t want this rule),people came out on roads and till Parliament to emphasize their demands in front of the Central government. The formation of Uttarakhand was achieved after a long struggle of people and heavy sacrifices in various gunfires and state afflicted brutalities on protesters. In 1994, the demand for statehood eventually took the form of a mass movement that resulted in the formation of country’s 27th state by the year 2000.
The economic and ethnographic conditions of the Uttarakhand region (out of the then 6 regions of UP) differed greatly from the plain areas of UP. In an already poverty stricken state, the region radically lagged behind the plains in terms of household income, educational opportunities and health accessibility. Most of the indigenous people in Uttarakhand are Hindus and Buddhists, a few Muslim groups are also natives to the state, while Sikh migrants from West Punjab are settled in the lowlands since 1947, a population composition different from that of UP altogether. The overall lagging development statistics, neglect by State government to improve the health, educational and employment opportunities for the inhabitants of the region and a different hill identity sparked agitations for a separate state. Although the erstwhile hill kingdoms of Garhwal and Kumaon traditionally differed with diverse linguistic and cultural influences due to the proximity of different neighbouring ethnic groups, the inseparable and complementary nature of their geography, economy, culture, language, and traditions created strong bonds between the two regions for raising demands of a separate land.
The struggle for Uttarakhand as a separate state heads back to more than 60 years (although the demand heads back to 1897 when the locals had first asked the Britishers for a separate mountain unit). It all started in 1930 when residents of the hill region had moved a resolution by majority vote claiming for a separate state. In the year 1938 in erstwhile British empire, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru had extended support to the people of mountain regions during Congress Session held in Srinagar, Garhwal. He addressed the movement favorably and important for the mountain people to have the decision making powers as per their geographical situation and culture. In 1940, at Haldwani conference, Badri Datt Pandey (MP from Almora and one of the foremost political leaders) voiced for the special status of the mountainous region. After Independence the demand for separate state was again raised ahead of the Central government in 1959 by Panikar Ayog (which was formed to look into the reconstruction of the state). However, the government kept delaying or refusing to accept the demands of the people. Tired of trying to reach the government, people started coming out on roads during 1970’s. The first regional party of Uttarakhand called Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) was formed in the year 1979 in a Pravartiya Jan Vikas Sammelan held in Mussoorie. It was after this that the movement took a formal manifestation. UKD and other Sangathans continuously did movements and sloganeering in front of the Parliament in Delhi. The rising demand of people for a separate state increased the tension of the Mulayam Singh Yadav government in UP which was in power. Yadav’s popularity grew as a villain because of his political outlook against the movement, who also publicly held the view “Why should I bother about the mountain people, they are not the ones who have given me votes.” Throughout the year 1994, students all over the region participated in the collective movement for separate statehood. In August 1994, the provinces of Pauri, Uttarkashi, Nainital, Rishikesh, Karnprayag and Pithoragarh witnessed dozens of lathicharges in the state where many protesters were injured. The beginning of month of September witnessed gunfires in Khatima, and Mussoorie which resulted in killing of 10 protesters and Police Superintendent of Mussoorie.
It was on the night of October 2nd, 1994 when protesters witnessed the most brutal facade of state sponsored crime. Responding to a rally called by the Uttarakhand Samyukta Sangharsh Samiti (USSS), a coalition headed by UKD, nearly 7,000 people began a journey from Garhwal to New Delhi for a planned rally to be held behind Red Fort. The rally came as a response to then CM Mulayam Singh’s decision to approve the requirements of reservation bill for the state of UP and thereby extending OBC quotas into the region of Uttarakhand which had less than even 2% OBC’s in its all 13 districts. Thus the bill was perceived threatening educational and public employment opportunities for residents of hills. The buses however were stopped in Rampur Tiraha, when the police reeking of liquor got inside, hit people with rifle butts and started assaulting women. To the astonishment of people, the police soon started firing on the protesters, many were killed, many ran towards the sugarcane fields to hide, women were raped, many are still disappearing. The bullets of police perforated the bodies of protesters. The surrounding trees with countless bullet marks lied as a testimony to the heinous nature of the state commited crime. The police had arrested a total of 28 men and 47 women on the night. CBI enquiry had shown that 3 of the arrested women were raped and 13 were sexually assaulted while in police custody. Most of these women were from Chamoli (one of the most backward and geographically toughest districts of Uttarakhand). The news of Rampur incident reached Dehradun sparking another protest and curfew on 3rd October. Already fierce people had fierce battles with the police in entire Dehradun. All along, the Muzaffarrnagar police as well as the UP state government refused to take responsibility for the incidents. They denied charges of human-rights violations, saying that the police fired on protesters under extreme provocation. The denial continued until pressure form CBI in 1996 to probe into the incident but with time and due to political negligence the seriousness of investigation faded from the memories of people, media and governments. Moreover, the witnesses went on a backfoot due to constant attack threats. However, the media and political attention that the movement had received instantly after the incident helped it in the long run.
The Rampur Tiraha firing can be seen as the tipping point when demand for separate statehood (within the Union of India) achieved almost unanimous acceptance among the local populace as well as political parties at the national level. The movement which had reached its peak after the 90’s finally showed some hope to the people when PM HD Devegoda formally announced the formation of Uttarakhand as a separate state in the year 1995 which was taken forward by the central government in the year 1998 as well. After 5 years of declaration, the proposal for the formation of Uttarakhand was at last passed in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha in August 2000 leading to the formation of the state finally in November 2000.
The Uttarakhand movement is witness to many sacrifices and loss of lives. Although the state gained independence, the ground situation remained grim because of poor political will within the state. Since its inception in 2000, Uttarakhand has seen eight changes of occupants in the CM’s office mainly due to internal squabbles and rebellion in the ruling party, be it the Congress or the BJP imposing its choice of CM, politicians fought for power, some who were part of the movement gained political mileage, however, it’s the common people who never received justice. The women who were raped, the families that lost their members still hope to receive justice of the brutal Rampur Tiraha incident. The state politics seems divided, corrupt and not ready to open eyes to the plights of mountain people for whom the state was actually carved. Majority of the politicians sit in Vidhan Sabha in Dehradun for whom even a regular visit in mountains becomes a painful task, leave aside operating from hill headquarters. The hill state seems in the midst of another political crisis.
Sources:
English