Political Activism through Social Media in a Conflict Zone: A Study of 2010 Kashmir Agitation

Kashmir conflict is a reality that has been usually negated by state powers in South Asia and continues to be hostage to geopolitical wrangling. Over the last two decades, it has wreaked havoc and consumed numerous lives. In year 2010, Kashmir witnessed a six-month long violent summer that was triggered by death of three youth who were alleged to have been killed in a fake encounter. The incident set Kashmir valley in flames as mass protests erupted all over. Waves of stone pelting protesters descended on the streets of Srinagar, summer capital of Kashmir, defying curfew orders. More than 120 unarmed protestors were killed in action by Indian security forces. While print and electronic media was gagged by state, the educated youth of Kashmir by their adept use of social media, such as Facebook and You Tube, set up new sites and new ways of confronting the Indian state. Some youth were even arrested for doing so. The purpose of this paper is to provide a fundamental difference between traditional political activism, as it existed for two decades in Kashmir, and its transformation into sharper digital political activism during 2010 agitation. Through drawn analysis of certain websites and Facebook pages created during 2010 agitation, the paper is a critical study about how social media activism takes shape in the context of censorship and state repression in a conflict zone, and whether it proves to be a change-agent.