Arundhati Roy Under Fire

Last week, award-winning author Arundhati Roy boldly stated that Kashmir is “not an integral part of India,” sparking a whirlwind of attention by local media and politicians who are asking for her arrest under charges of sedition. Shoma Chaudhury, the executive editor of Tehelka, writes it is in the nature of Roy to break the silence on the Kashmir controversy: “She has steadfastly worked at growing into her own ideal: to be a ‘troublesome citizen.’ Expressing her love through critical vigilance.” Politicians near the northern state have said that Roy’s views express a small portion of the population, and one political group has already filed a petition to bring Roy to court. But Roy has since gained momentum and is in Kashmir issuing a public statement declaring that she spoke on behalf of “one of the most brutal military occupations in the world.”