The people of Kashmir are not alone. The citizens of Jharkhand, led by the Jharkhand NagrikPrayas yesterday on November 6, 2019, staged a silent protest against the unjust clampdown on the citizens of the now Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir after the revocation of Article 370 by the BJP government.

P PVerma, the organiser of the protest said that the government forced the decision of stripping Jammu and Kashmir of its constitutional status and dividing it into Union Territories without consulting the people. He said that Kashmiris had been jailed in their own homes and that their civil rights had been snatched from them.

On August 5 this year, the Centre issued a clampdown on Kashmir after abrogating Article 370 and 35 (A) which was followed by a complete communication and media shutdown. In the three months after the shutdown, families faced immense hurdles in contacting their loved ones in the state, trade took a hit of over Rs. 10,000 crore, journalists and children were illegally detained and militant attacks against non-locals peaked, killing at least eleven.

The Jharkhand NagrikPrayas has made its displeasure felt and demanded that the government should not take any decision regarding Kashmir without first consulting its people. It has asked the Centre to restore the fundamental rights of the Kashmiri citizens, giving them back their freedom and reinstating the state’s special status.