On India successfully completing a year of the annulment of Article 370 and 35A on Aug 5, JK Now posted a short documentary on social media giant ‘Twitter’ presenting a story dedicated to Radhika Gill, her Valmiki community in J&K and all others who fought for their rights and won the 70 yrs. old battle by getting the discriminatory provision nullified last year. In less than 24 hrs of it being posted on Twitter, the story of the Valmiki girl is gaining immense popularity throughout India and is also being widely acclaimed by top leaders, politicians, and celebrities who are sharing it further.

 

 

Radhika Gill of Valmiki community, a resident of J&K was only 18 yrs old when she challenged the constitutional validity of Article 35-A of the Constitution along with two others that gave privileges to only permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir, and did injustice to non-permanent residents of J&K.

 

 

 

 

Radhika, was one of the top athletes of J&K along with being a bright student was a rank holder in “Shot Put” and “100 meter Race” in 14th State Athletic Championship of JK, Radhika along with other members of Valmiki community was deprived of basic human rights by State Government of J&K in the garb of Article 35A. She lived with her parent in a one-room shanty at Valmiki Colony in Jammu and had the medals and trophies that she won as an athlete but all her awards were of no use as she was one of the many voiceless non-permanent resident Valmikis, who had been facing the worst kind of slavery in a democracy since 1957.

 

 

 

Radhika was outrightly denied the employment opportunities in J&K despite being educationally qualified and eligible to apply for Civil Post of State Services.

 

 

Being denied “Permanent Resident Certificate” by J&K because of Article 35A in an unjust, unfair and discriminatory manner, she then took this fight against Injustice to the Supreme Court of India. She filed a Writ Petition in SC fighting against this arbitrary Article 35A and Sec.6 of JK Constitution. She fought against the arbitrary attitude of J&K and won her fight against injustice.

 

 

Although, members of Valmiki community have been living in Jammu since 1957 but they were deprived of all constitutional and human rights due to the separate constitution of the erstwhile state. They were not only denied PRCs which were only given to residents of J&K, but their families too were debarred from claiming any Govt. job as the only job they were entitled to was that of a sweeper in J&K.

 

 

 

Before Article 370 and 35A was nullified by the Government on Aug 5, Radhika Gill in her own statement had shared her heart breaking story saying that even though she excelled in the physical test for recruitment into a paramilitary force but was debarred from participating in the main selection as she did not possess a PRC. And there had been many such stories in Jammu and Kashmir due to the discriminatory provision, which was anti-women, anti-Dalit, and anti-tribal.

 

 

For Valmikis it had started during 1957 when the community was called by the J&K Govt. from especially Punjab to work as “safai karamcharis”, after the local workers had gone on an indefinite strike. The then PM of J&K (as it was called then), Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad, had convened a Cabinet meeting in which a decision was taken to bring sweepers from other states to solve the crisis. Over 250 families of Valmikis were brought from Gurdaspur and Amritsar in Punjab with the promise that they would be provided all constitutional rights like other citizens of J&K. However, the promise was never fulfilled, and community members remained deprived of their basic fundamental rights such as the right to education and employment.

 

 

 

 

(1) Right to Vote in local elections of State,

2) Govt. Job and Social Welfare benefits

3) Admission to Professional College.

 

 

However, as the central Govt. revoked Article 370 and 35A on Aug 5, 2019, the agony of these residents came to an end winning them their rights in the Union Territory, as well as all other privileges, granted to all the residents of J&K.

 

 

To know Radhika’s story in her own words along with her successful journey, watch the full documentary on JK Now webpage.