When Witness Kashmir 1986-2016 , a book of photographs shot in Kashmir by nine local photographers and edited by documentary filmmaker Sanjay Kak, was published in 2017, one of the mild criticisms it faced was the absence of women photographers in the compilation. Subsequently, lens-women from Kashmir have been very much in the news for some fearless documentary photography.
In April, the well-known photojournalist, 26-year-old Masrat Zahra, was arrested under the draconian UAPA, leading to an international furore. Now, with three Kashmiri photographers who work for Associated Press in Jammu and Kashmir bagging the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for feature photography last month, it is clear that ‘conflict photography’ has touched new heights in a region that has been under a severe ‘total lockdown’ for over nine months now.
Sanna Irshad Mattoo (Instagram: sanna.irshad.mattoo) belongs to this new and intrepid band of photojournalists who are working under challenging circumstances in Kashmir, where they are viewed suspiciously by both the agencies of the state as well as the local population.
Here are some images captured by her from the May 19 incident at Nawakadal in Srinagar, in which the government claimed the death of two Hizbul militants and injuries to four security personnel. Over a dozen houses in the area were reduced to ashes and rubble in the ensuing fires, while scores of residents were rendered homeless in the middle of the pandemic.
Hemal, 80, sits at the window of her partially burnt house looking out at the neighbourhood. “We have lost our savings, our jewellery, everything,” she says.
Local people come out and try to douse the fires. At least four civilians reportedly suffered burn injuries, including 12-year-old Basim Aijaz, who succumbed in hospital.
Paramilitary forces arrive at the encounter site in Nawakadal in Srinagar’s old city, a congested area where houses are stacked close to each other. The 11-hour operation was carried out by J&K Police and CRPF personnel.
A resident runs towards the burning houses. Encounters in Kashmir invariably leave behind a trail of civilian destruction, with houses burnt due to gunfire and explosives used to flush out militants.