STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: The book “The 1998 Jammu Revolt: How Farooq Abdullah saved his government”, authored by Prof Hari Om, former Dean of Jammu University’s Faculty of Social Sciences and Head of History Department, was released on Wednesday at the Seminar Hall, Department of Computer Sciences, University of Jammu in an impressive function here.
It was attended by university teachers, leading members of Jammu civil society, and students, particularly those who had participated in the agitation and suffered immensely in the process.
The book throws light on the 1998 MBBS/BDS agitation. It was launched by Jammu Joint Students Federation (JJSF) students on February 28, 1998, and supported by Jammu University teachers, all sections of society, and Bar Association Jammu (BAJ), Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industry and transporters’ associations. The agitation continued till May 6.
It was for the first time in the Jammu’s political history that Jammu observed continuous Bandh for twelve day, and witnessed continuous chain hunger strike for 43 days and fast-unto-death for 30 days. It was also for the first time that educational institutions remained closed for 67 days and business establishments for 15 long days and the national highways were blocked. The participation of girl students in the agitation was on an unprecedented scale.
The 1998 agitation could be legitimately termed as the Jammu’s crowning triumph, as it had brought the Farooq Abdullah Government to the knees of the people of Jammu province.
Such was the nature and magnitude of the agitation that the mortally afraid Farooq Abdullah Government had to ignore the bitter Kashmiri opposition and pass bills on Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University and Agriculture University when the agitation was still on. This government would have surely collapsed, had it not passed these two historic bills.
The other demand was admission to the Jammu-based technical and professional institutions as per the admission rules as laid down by the Jammu and Kashmir University’s Act of 1969. In other words, the demand was that all the seats available in Jammu province must be made the sole preserve of the Jammu youth and all the seats available in Kashmir the sole preserve of Kashmiri youth.
The three-member committee set up by the Farooq Abdullah Government and headed by RP Singhal — of which Late Prof DK Rampal of Jammu University’s English Department was also a member — did concede this demand in January 1999. It remains a matter of grave concern that the government didn’t implement the Singhal Committee Report and that it has been gathering dust in the Secretariat ever since then.
The book The 1998 Jammu revolt also throws light on the nature of New Delhi’s Kashmir policy and the essentially negative attitude of certain elements in Jammu towards the needs, compulsions and aspirations of the people of Jammu province. These elements tried their best to puncture and derail the movement, but the determined students and university teachers defeated all their moves.
Those who spoke on the occasion included Prof Hari Om, the author, Advocate Rajinder Jamwal, former JJSF president, Hari Dutt Shishu, former Jammu University Research Scholars Association (JURSA), and Zorawar Singh Jamwal, Chairman, Team Jammu. The programme was anchored by Atul Sudan, JJSF Sr. Vice president, and the vote of thanks was delivered by Pushvinder Singh Manhas, president JJSF.
The 1998 Jammu Revolt was published by a leading publishing concern, Har Anand Publications of which Late Narendra Kumar was the founder. The book is available with Amazon and Sahitya Sangam, Kachi Chowni, Jammu.
