On Monday, the Indian government announced that Kashmir’s constitutionally-mandated autonomy would be revoked and political rule imposed from Delhi.
This northern territory, claimed by both India and Pakistan and ruled in part by each, had been largely autonomous since it agreed to join India in 1947 as its only Muslim-majority state.
Now the government has revoked that autonomy, bypassing the Kashmiri legislature, arresting local politicians, and redrawing the political map.
Something sinister was brewing in Kashmir over the previous week. India suddenly pushed in thousands of paramilitary forces to add to the already present half a million soldiers that tightly control Kashmiri lives in the region. These forces were deployed in strength in major towns and cities, blocking entry and exit points.
The hard-right Hindu nationalist Indian government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has attempted to clamp down on any voices of dissent emanating from the restive region. This, however, has not stopped Kashmiris and non-Kashmiris around the world from attempting to raise awareness of the clampdown.
