A recent study by a Kashmiri scholar has made several revelations about the ongoing armed conflict in Jammu Kashmir.
A research done by Dr. Asima Hassan from the University of Kashmir’s Sociology department reveals that in 21 per cent cases, the second member of the family/extended family joined militancy after the killing of their militant relative.
Titled, “Effects of armed conflict on the families of slain members of armed groups in Kashmir: A sociological study” the paper has been published by the Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (JETIR), a research journal.
The researcher, who claims to have surveyed 100 families of slain militants across Kashmir for the paper, reveals that of these 21 percent, in four cases father and son or two brothers were militants and both got killed.
“68 percent of the respondents in the study stated that before and after the death of the militant, they faced isolation from society,” the study found.
“Before the killing of the militant, Government forces constantly raided their (militant) houses due to which relatives, neighbours and friends of the family would maintain distance with them leaving the family without any social support. It is believed that militancy generally has social acceptance in Kashmir and due to this reason none of the respondents apparently faced any social stigma,” it says.
“However, during the intensive interactions with these families, it was observed that underneath the families of slain militants were facing several social issues; including finding a suitable match for their children,” the paper points out.
The findings of the study have revealed that families of the slain militants are living in miserable and pitiable conditions.