Social Media in Kashmir: a Case Study of the Free Faizan Campaign 2011

Preceding the political turmoils in Moldova and Iran and much before the ?Facebook revolution? of Egypt, Kashmir saw its own revolution,armed with social media purely aimed against the Indian rule in Kashmir. The people of Indian Administered Kashmir utilized social media to the fullest of its extent in terms of mobilizing the society and disseminating information relating to state oppression. The state got provoked and resorted to various techniques to check and control the social media. The techniques also included detention,harassment and arrests of not only the adults but also children who allegedly were ?inciting violence? through social network. The Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act (JKPSA) one of the draconian laws functioning in Kashmir provides the legal justification for the State to harasses people including the young ones of Kashmir. The book traces the case of Faizan, a victim of the flawed juvenile justice system of Kashmir. Faizan?s case is the first ever in which social media played an important role in shaping the situation ideal for his release. Unfortunately many other like Faizan don?t share the same fate and continue to suffer at the hands of the Indian state.