Srinagar, Dec. 15 -- A Kashmiri student fears travelling by air, always apprehensive of being at an airport for "routine questioning." A young professional is asked - politely, but pointedly - where he stands "ideologically." A shawlwalla, selling his merchandize elsewhere in other Indian states, is always very conscious of his Kashmiri identity, and more often than not, carries himself fearfully too. A trader is advised to keep his opinions to himself if he wants business to move smoothly.

None of them ever sat on a prime-time TV panel. None addressed Parliament. None trended on social media. Yet all of them paid the price for what was shouted there. And each shout would smell more foul than an infectious vomit.

This is the uncomfortab...