In what is being termed as a castiest order and a denigration of Kashmiri attire, the authorities in Kupwara district of IIOJK have suspended a forest guard for wearing ‘Pheran’ during duty.
The letter about the suspension of a forest guard, Bashir Ahmad Dhobi, issued by the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Langate has come under scrutiny for its casteist undertones. Particularly, the remarks made in the letter wherein the DFO equated the forest guard with a shepherd because of wearing Kashmiri dress ‘Pheran’, has raised concerns among rights activists and community members in the occupied territory.
Pertinently, DFO Langate recently issued a suspension order claiming that during his surprise inspection of forest check-post Langate, he found one of the forest officials wearing a ‘pheran’ looking like a shepherd.
While acknowledging the importance of proper attire for forest officials, the official letter’s association with shepherds has been deemed unacceptable by critics. Additionally, the denigration of the traditional Pheran attire has sparked outrage, with questions raised about the implications of such remarks on Kashmiri culture and identity.
PDP President Mehbooba Mufti slamming the order said it smacked of prejudice towards the traditions. “Langate’s Divisional Forest officer has suspended Bashir Ahmed – a forest guard for wearing a pheran. The subsequent order smacks of prejudice towards our traditions by deriding him for ‘looking like a shepherd’. Are shepherds sub-human? Insensitive & arrogant. Hope local admin takes action immediately,” Mehbooba said in a post on X.
Rights activist, Advocate Mir Imran, expressed strong condemnation of the letter, stating in his Facebook post, “The suspension letter viral on Facebook issued by DFO Langate reeks of casteism. It emits the stench of discrimination based on social status. Does wearing a Pheran equate to backwardness or shepherd status? The shepherd profession is venerable; even prophets have tended flocks. This statement is not just unconstitutional but casteist too.”—KMS
