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Dinesh Manhotra
Tribune News Service
Chak Bhopat (Jammu), Aug 14
Octogenarian Chuni Lal was 14 years old when India attained Independence on August 15, 1947, but for the last 72 years, he and his community members were living like ‘slaves’ as Article 35A deprived them of basic rights.
On the eve of the 73rd Independence Day, there is festive mood in Chak Bhopat and Sampuranpur Kulian, two villages situated in the Tawi island, 38 km from Jammu city. For the first time after 1947, residents of these Dalit-dominated villages are anxiously waiting for the national festival.
The inhabitants of these neglected villages have reasons to celebrate this year’s Independence Day with enthusiasm, as the abrogation of Article 370 has rekindled a hope among them of getting the basic human rights and that their coming generations will live with respect and dignity.
“We had no reason to celebrate Independence Day before August 5 because Article 35A of the Constitution deprived us of basic rights, so we were living like slaves in J&K,” Chuni Lal told The Tribune, but hastened to add that things had changed now. “The abrogation of Article 370 has cleared all hurdles to get the rights being denied to us since 1947,” Lal said and asserted that this time, people would celebrate Independence Day with fervour and gaiety.
In Sampuranpur Kulian and Bhutay Chak, there are nearly 125 Dalit families of West Pakistani refugees who are preparing to make this year’s Independence Day a ‘lifetime event’. Sadhu Ram, 65, a resident of Sampuranpur Kulian, said they had never celebrated the day because there was a feeling among people that “they were slaves of independent India”.
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