Studying in Class 3-4 in Kashmir (1964-65) I recall having read in my history book about Mr. Pushkar Nath Zadoo’s sacrifice – his name featured along with that of Maqbool Sherwani as a defender of Kashmir in 1947. Recently, as I started looking for details about Mr. Zadoo, I was shocked to find just nothing – no references, not even a mention. Over the years, in the words of George Orwell, he has become an ‘unperson’ - as if he never existed. Such has been the slant given to history and events by petty-minded communalists. I started my search with one name -Pushkar Nath Zadoo. Learned about the sacrifice of another young man- Somnath Kaul Bira. It was like trying to find a needle in the proverbial haystack. Beyond these two, I could not find much. I realize that we are picking up the threads 74 years after these events took place. Most of the actors involved would have left this world. To quote Thomas Moore,” ..the eyes that shone, now dimmed and gone, the cheerful hearts now broken,”. My objective is to highlight the role young Kashmiri Pandit boys and girls played in those fateful days of 1947.

Background:
The year 1947 was a very traumatic one for the minuscule Kashmiri Pandit community in Kashmir valley. The Indian subcontinent was in the midst of unprecedented turmoil – the British were leaving after dividing India into communal lines. Maharaja of J&K, Hari Singh was under tremendous pressure from the British as well as Jinnah to join Pakistan; the British were looking at furthering their long-term strategic interests and Jinnah was confident of grabbing the valley for pure communal reasons of Muslim domination in the Valley. Maharaja himself was leaning towards India but had serious reservations about Nehru because of his inexplicable weakness for Abdullah; he obviously trusted neither.

On 22nd October 1947, Pathan tribals led by Pakistani officers ransacked Muzaffarabad. Maharaja’s army fought heroically at Uri, to the last bullet, and to the last man, delaying the advance of the marauders by four days. The tribesmen spread to surrounding villages and mountainous terrain leaving behind a trail of death and destruction. They looted shops, set houses ablaze, and spread terror as they swept into Kashmir in the name of Allah and the newly created Muslim state of Pakistan. Though their orders were to capture Srinagar, the wild Pashtun tribals started indulging in their favorite pastimes of loot and rape. On 26th October they captured Baramulla, a major commercial town and district headquarter, some fifty kilometers from Srinagar. The town witnessed some of the worst orgies of murder, rape, loot, and arson. A few Muslims in Baramulla initially welcomed them as ‘deliverers’ but soon found out that the raiders did not hesitate in attacking and looting Muslims as well. Refugees from villages started staggering towards Srinagar, each carrying his/ her tale of woe, of rape, murder, and arson.

The entire region was in a state of churn and turmoil, engulfed by socio-political unrest and uncertainty. The Pandit community had still not forgotten the deep scars of five centuries of barbaric Islamic rule that reduced the peaceful community from a majority to a minuscule, microscopic minority in the valley. They saw the emergence of Pakistan and Muslim majoritarianism thru the lenses of atrocities wrought on them in the name of Islam by the barbaric Pathans. Qabailis were only repeating what their ancestors had done to the Pandit community in Kashmir – loot, rape, and the ultimate insult forced conversion to Islam. An acute sense of despondency and fear gripped the valley, more so, amongst the Pandits.

Saving Srinagar
Maharaja Hari Singh was advised by VP Menon to leave Srinagar since there was no army left to defend him or Srinagar. Maharaja, accordingly left for Jammu on the night of 25th October 1947, leaving Srinagar defenseless against aggressive hordes of Pashtuns. At this critical juncture the dominant political party in Kashmir Valley, the National Conference, under the leadership of Sheikh Abdullah, took charge. Abdullah gave a call for volunteers to resist the aggression and defend their motherland; he exhorted people to maintain communal harmony. The response to his call was overwhelming. A spontaneous grassroots movement began to emerge in the streets. “Peace Committees” and “Mohalla Committees” were formed. Streets of Srinagar saw young men keeping round-the-clock vigil, specifically at strategic places like telephone and telegraph exchange, post office, bridges, and other vital installations. I recall my late grandfather Pt Kesho Nath telling me that he, his younger brother Pt Shambhu Nath and several other Pandit young men of the Alikadal-Budgir area came out to be part of the volunteer Mohalla Committee, led by the local National Conference tough known as Qadir Chhan.

Srinagar city resounded with the slogans:

• “Hamlaawar Khabardar– Hum Kashmiri Hein Tayyar’’ (Beware o aggressors, we Kashmiris are ready to fight back)”
• Sher-I-Kashmir ka kya Irshad – Hindu Muslim Sikh Itihaad (What does Shiekh Abdullah, the Lion of Kashmir Say,” Hindu, Muslim, Sikh togetherness,”

Pandit Community did not have any recent martial historical background – five centuries of Islamization had virtually battered their spine. Yet, when the need arose, over 600 young men and women of KP origin came forward to take up the defense of Srinagar City. Several of them had been weaned on leftist ideology and influenced by the Russian Revolution. It was a volunteer force, idealistic and driven by the love for their motherland. What they lacked by way of formal training was more than made up by their zeal, raw courage, and spirit of self-sacrifice. Most of the volunteers were from ordinary, middle-class families. Some names are known but most have been erased from the history of the State by an ungrateful and communalized state machinery.

The volunteer force, hastily put together under the aegis of the leftists in the National Conference was initially known as Salamati Fauj. The boys and girls had no military or arms training – in fact, no arms were available at all, even for the defense of Srinagar! They never went out to fight any battles with Qabailis. Their presence, however, helped give a semblance of order to the city. They helped maintain communal peace in the city. Their existence was symbolic to a very great extent. Yet, one has to imagine what glass ceiling these youngsters, particularly girls/ women breached in the super conservative social milieu of Kashmir by coming out in defense of the city and civil society. It was a gesture that left an indelible impression on the thinking of a conservative Pandit community.

Pushkar Nath Zadoo was born into an illustrious and educated family on 15th April 1928. His father Pt Vasudev Zadoo was an engineer working with the J&K State Govt (and subsequently retired as Chief Engineer) and his mother Devki Zadoo was a homemaker. Pushkar, his sisters, (Kamla, Tusli, Krishna, and Indu), and brother Vijay were bright and socially spirited students, alive to the political happenings. Kamala, Krishna, and Indu joined the female wing of the National Militia -Women’s Self Defence Committee or WSDC. Pushkar was studying at Amar Singh College, Srinagar, and was attracted to the left-wing/ socialist political groups so predominant in the intellectual circles of Kashmir. He too became part of what was called National Militia/Salamati Fauj.

A group of young men in Srinagar called Progressive Group started a Peace Brigade as the first line of defense of Kashmir. Led by Pushkar Nath Zadoo, some volunteers went to the Handwara sector to stall the march of invaders. The men had almost nothing in the name of weapons. Once Indian Army units started arriving from 27th October onwards, Pushkar Nath and other National Militia youngsters started assisting the Indian Army units in the Handwara - Kupwara – Tithwal region. This sector continued to see action against Pakistani Raiders till almost mid of 1948; Qabailis had been driven from Baramulla – Uri sector in November 1947 itself but in the Handwara – Kupwara belt, they continued to resist/ attack. Once the Indian army arrived, they faced logistical problems - neither the officers nor the jawans were familiar with the terrain or local language. Young men like Pushkar Zadoo were deployed to provide logistical support to the Indian forces and also assist in gathering local information/ intelligence. He was, probably, by then a part of the J&K Militia (converted from National Militia).

“Exact details of how Pushkar Nath Zadoo lost his life are not known – we only know that his body was cremated by the Indian Army. Army headquarters officially confirmed his martyrdom to the desolate family. His last belongings, comprising civilian clothes, books, and spectacles were handed over to his father,” revealed his sister, Mrs. Krishna Zadoo Misri in an email to me.

Pt Pushkar Nath Zadoo: 15.04.1928 – 17.08.1948. Portrait by Pt Ravi Dhar.

Somnath Koul Bira and other known names:
Another name that I came across was that of Pt Somnath Koul Bira s/o Pt Nand Lal Koul Bira of Rainawari. Somnath was among the bright crop of young student leaders that came out of Lahore – again with a strong leftist background. There are a few other known names – HN Durrani, ON Trisal, PN Kachroo, Motilal Misri & Mohanlal Misri; KP young ladies - Usha Kak, Kaushalya Kaul, Krishna Misri, Shanta Kashkari, Leela Bhan, Jai Kishori Dhar, Indu Pandit, Usha Kashyap, Jai Kishori Vaishnavi, and Laxmi Rambal were also a part of National Militia.

Somnath and his friends led by Professor Apoorava Somnath planned to head for Jammu-Doda Region where communal riots had broken out. Besides Somnath Bira, this group had Professor Hriday Nath Durani, ON Trisal, Professor Mahmood Hashmi (Urdu lecturer from Amar Singh College), and artist P. N. Kachroo. Professor Durani had to return from Qazigund on account of ill health. P. N. Kachroo couldn’t go because he was tied up handling the cultural wing of the group. On reaching Jammu, Professor Hashmi sneaked away and left for Poonch from where he crossed over to Pakistan. Somnath Bira died at the hands of hostile forces near a place called Regi Nallah near Doda. His body was never found. In the words of his older sister,” Few remember those dead people now. Few know their stories. He died so young. My brother…Bira…Somnath Koul Bira. He was with Shiekh. He was part of the Militia. The ‘National Militia’. They defended Kashmir. When Qabailis attacked. They fought back. He died. There was communal unrest in Doda. Tribals were raiding. Hindus and Sikhs were killing Muslims. Muslims were killing Hindus. 700 people from Srinagar volunteered to go there as ‘Peace Brigade’. My brother was one of the leaders. Peace was established. But he never returned. There were stories. Stories of foul play. I was told he died even before reaching Doda. On the way, they had to cross a bridge over Chenab. While crossing the bridge, they came under fire. I was told he fell in Chenab. He was gone.” (searchkashmir.org)

Photograph of Somnath Bira, a young man at the back in dark coat, pomaded hair parted neatly and a fountain pen in breast pocket (courtesy – searchkashmir.org)

In 1947 there were many Muslim areas in Srinagar city and in the rural parts of the Valley where some Muslims were attracted to Pakistan. Rumors about some Kashmiri Muslim clerics of the Maisuma locality planning welcome committees for the Qabailis and joining with them to liberate Kashmir were raging like wildfire in Srinagar. Apprehension was that if just a hundred or so Qabailis breached the defenses of Srinagar, all Kashmiri Muslims, secular or otherwise, would bend to their coercion and the game would be up for the non-Muslims in Srinagar. This is what happened in the towns of Muzaffarabad, Poonch, Rajouri, Mirpur, Uri, Handwara, Bandipore, Sopore, Baramulla, and Anantnag.

There was a TOTAL POWER VACCUM in Kashmir in the last week of October 1947. Maharaja had left Kashmir (October 25, 1947), Govt of India was yet to step in; the Indian Army reached Srinagar Airport on 27th October and rushed to fight the Qabailis. The power vacuum could have been a perfect recipe for a communal carnage in Srinagar.

Three days – October 25-27 would have been enough for mass killings of hapless Pandits and other non-Muslims. One, therefore, must give Shiekh Abdullah his due credit for not allowing communal riots to break out in Srinagar in the last week of October 1947, no matter what his compulsions. Whatever Abdullah’s reasons, fact remains that there was no major breakdown of inter-community harmony and trust during those critical days of October 1947. Had he not acted so decisively, the Indian Army would have found an Ethnically cleansed Kashmir on October 27th, 1947.

Alas, the story of these brave young men and women has not been properly chronicled. One can only imagine their indominable spirit, the fire in their hearts to fight for their motherland, to defend it from rape and loot by wild brigands and religious zealots. Once the crisis was over, the National Militia became defunct. WSDC was disbanded. Some Militia boys were absorbed in the Indian Army or in the newly formed J&K Militia but a majority of them were lost into obscurity, leading unsung lives.

Unfortunately, state archives do not even have a list of the young starry-eyed boys and girls who came forward during the Kashmir crisis of 1947. Exploits of Che Guevara have become famous but our young heroes died unsung, mostly unheralded. I do not know if we can ever find out more details about the valiant young Pandit men and women who came out to defend Kashmir. Through this write-up, am requesting friends and families of these young men and women to share anecdotes and details about them so that some documentation can be created. Let not the brave Kashmiri Pandit boys and girls fade into oblivion, unsung!

National Militia volunteers marching on the streets of Srinagar in October 1947. Photo: Photo Division of India (KN Bamzai).

The brave women in this picture are (from left to right) Usha Kak, Kaushalya Kaul, Krishna Misri, Shanta Kashkari, Leela Bhan, Jai Kishori Dhar, Indu Pandit, Khurshid Bakshi, Zainab, Usha Kashyap, Jai Kishori Vaishnavi, and Laxmi Rambal.

Nehru receiving a Guard of Honour from the Women’s Wing of National Militia, November 1947, Srinagar.