Ahad War deserves a memorial

By Kuldeep Raina

If Kashmiriat denotes religious toleration and pluralistic co-existence, then surely Kashmir has remained bereft of it for most of the medieval and the present times. Rajataranginis of Pandit Jonaraja and Srivara and the chronicles penned down by Muslim historians - Tarikh-e-Hassan, Baharistan Shahi, Tohft-Tul Ahbab speak about torture, killings, forced conversion, exile of native Hindus besides the pillage and plunder of their shrines. Whenever Kashmiris received accolades for practising Kashmiriat, it has been the individuals, rather than the society at large that has retrieved ‘Kashmiriat’.

Nowhere in the sub-continent has history been abused so blatantly as in Kashmir. To borrow a phrase from Edward P. Thompson, the great British historian distortion of history is an nationalised industry here. The trials and tribulations the Kashmiri Pandits went through in the wake of tribal raid in 1947 has still remained under warps due to the compulsions of the ruling class in Delhi and Srinagar. At this crucial juncture of history, when Kashmiri Pandit community is languishing in exile and stands disinherited by the majority community in Valley, introspection on what went wrong in the past would help  draw lessons for the future. It is time we remember our saviours. During the tribal raid, Pandits' trauma and agony would have been much-less had the majority community demonstrated secular behaviour. Ahad war’s role amply testifies it.

Ahad war belonged to Chogal village, 2 kms from Handwara. He was numberbar of the village. When the raid began he had decided that he would defend Pandits to the last and stood by his word. The Sarpanch of the village was Gh. Qadir Masala. He was an opportunist, who always joined the winning side.

In this overwhelming Muslim village (250 families), 22 Sikh families lived on one side of the Pohru river, close to Sopore-Kupwara highway. Pandit Mohalla was located on the other side of Pohru. There were nine Pandit families. One Kanth Koul had come from Srinagar to try his luck at business. He ran a shop in Chogal. This family’s  descendants today run a famous business concern.

“Janki Nath - Mahendra Nath”

There is a reference to village Chogal in medieval chronicles. Chogal was very famous because of a temple called Bomar. It used to attract big crowds of people. At the instance of an Iraqi missionary this temple was demolished. Locals under the leadership of Ahald war had resisted this then. This was in early seventeenth century.

Tribal Raid 1947-48:

Chogal Pandits learnt about tribal raid from Amarchand Pandita, who had gone to participate in the barat of late Pt. Moti Lal Kuchroo of Baramulla. At venukur, the barat was Waylaid and attacked by raiders. Eight members of the barat party were killed. Amarchand, who too was in barat party, had a providential escape. He reached home safely to tell that raiders were killing Pandits. The Pandits of the village, frightened by this first hand account of killings went to seek the advice of Ahad war. He extended complete sympathy and assured all possible help to save them. Ahad war arranged guard for Pandit houses during night.

When the D-day arrived, raiders guided by three locals Imamdin, Mahd Teli and Shamsuddin Khan descended on Sikh part of Chogal. Pandits were in their houses and were caught unawares. To give time to Pandits to flee, Ahad war devised a strategy. Ahad war took Moshar Nath, secretary of Panchayat along with him besides few local Muslims and went to meet raiders, before they would enter Pandit part of Chogal. To hoodwink raiders, Moshar Nath was given a green flag to hold aloft. Sikh houses had already been set on fire. Raiders, to whom loot was more important than anything else, caught hold of Moshar Nath and threatened to kill him. He handed over all gold and the money he carried with him. Ahad war got worried that raiders would not leave Pandits. In broken Kashmiri he pleaded  before raiders to spare Pandits. War told them that these people had become Shaikhs and have accepted Islam.

The local trio had incited the raiders. They threatened to kill Moshar Nath that in case he failed to show where Gana  Bhat was hiding. To save his skin,  Moshar Nath called Gana Bhat out from hiding. Mahd Teli had rivalry with Gana Bhat. He thought raiders would settle the score for him.

Meanwhile,  another batch of raiders came accompanied by 1500 people belonging to Kultari, Sikh Chogal, Guloora, Kuhroo and Yaru. This group of raiders particularly looked for Gopi Nath Channa, a Patwari posted here. He belonged to Badiyar, Srinagar. Gopi Nath came forward and agreed to take raiders to his house. Ahad war went along with him and wanted to help him out. Gopi Nath put stealthily Rs 200 in Ahad War's pheran pocket so that he could plead that he had borrowed money from Ahad war and save rest of the money. Gopi Nath led raiders to his house and asked Ahad war in raider's presence to give him some money as he had nothing. Gopi Nath murmured in Kashmiri, ‘Meh traymay chandas Rs 200, yori ditam bah dimaha yiman’. (I have put in your pocket Rs 200. Hand me over these so that I give it to them)}. So Ahad war played the trick for Gopi Nath. Raiders felt Ahad war had more money. They searched his other pocket and left him with nothing.

Conversions:

Raiders then shot dead Shridhar Joo Khosa. He was posted as Patwari at Kukroosa. Ahad war came to console Pandits. Shridhar’s mother belonged to Chogal. Pandits now feared for their lives. They proposed to War that Pandits will embrace Islam. Ahad war understood that it was the fear which was speaking. He replied, “the situation will not remain like this. It is not acceptable to me that you will embrace Islam.” Pandits had, however, taken a decision and next morning called Abdullah Pir, Imam of the mosque to complete the formalities. A section of chogal Muslims did feel happy at conversions and decided to have an inter-dining session with Pandits to complete the conversion. When this decision was conveyed to Ahad war, he burst upon them and shouted, “scoundrels! Pandits will not become Muslims. Even if they become Muslims and anarchy continues to prevail, for three years they cannot share food with us”. Earlier also War had protested, when he refused to join Chogal villagers at the conversion ceremony.

Instant Justice:

Devmol, a widow had kept in her headgear cloth her meagre savings and put it in a trunk. During the turmoil she had managed to send it to her neighbour, Rasool Ahanger’s house for safe custody.  When normality returned, she asked him to hand over the trunk. Rasool sent back the trunk but the bag containing money was missing. Devmal went to Ahad war to seek his intervention.

Ahad called Rasool Ahangar. Entire village assembled. War asked Ahangar to return the money. The latter swore that he had not taken the money. Ahad war got a big stick, (Danda Muhr) and thrashed him severely. Ahangar remained unmoved. War then stripped him naked, leaving him only in underwear (Langoti). He then put a white sheet over Ahangar’s shoulders and bit him. Ahangar did not budge. Then war asked people to get a sickle. He put it in fire. When it turned red hot, war ordered Ahangar to take out his langoti. War brought hot sickle  near his private parts. At this point, Rasool Ahangar broke down. He begged mercy and accepted the guilt. Ahangar told war, ‘Sir, please leave me now. I have committed  the theft. I will see and get whatever money is left.”. Ahangar’s wife was also there. War put sickle in fire again and shouted, “you are not coming out. Tell your wife where have you hidden the money”. Rasool Ahangar asked his wife to hand, over the money to Devmal.

Pandits Property: Ahad war commanded awe and respect from his people. They called him Baab, the benign father. During February raid, when Chogal came under the frequent occupation of Pak army, Ahad War felt he may not be able to save Pandits. He arranged two big boats, behats for them at his own cost. As Pandits left, War put up a camp in Pandit Mohalla. War and 4-5 of his men would guard Pandit property day and night and look after their cattle.

After some time, War sent a message to Pandits that they should send person from each family to look after their  cattle Sarvanand recalls, “when we reached home we saw Ahad war had put up his camp in our mohalla. He had shifted his bedding  also and would guard our houses day and night. War also looked after our cattle.”.

In 1990, Chogal behaved differently because there was no Ahad war. Out of 20 Pandit houses, nineteen were put on fire by locals in September 1993. Shambnoo Nath’s house, which escaped fire stands denuded of its timber and Iron sheets forming its roof. The new dispensation which took over in Kashmir in 1947 never honoured people like Ahad war. The day Kashmiris decide to raise a memorial for Ahad war, Kashmir Pandits return to their homes and hearths can become possible.

(The writer is Gen. Secretary, Panun Kashmir)

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