On August 5, 2019, the BJP-led Indian government illegally revoked the special constitutional status of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (Articles 370 and 35A). this move triggered escalation in military actions, clampdowns and systematic human rights violation in the territory.
Killings and Custodial Deaths
Since the abrogation:
1. 1,030 Kashmiris have been martyred, including:
• 21 women
• 44 young boys
• 274 in fake encounters or custodial killings
• Among those martyred are prominent resistance leaders such as Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai, Altaf Shah, and Ghulam Mohammed Butt
2. Injuries
• At least 2,551 Kashmiris have sustained critical injuries due to the use of pellets, bullets, and tear gas on peaceful protestors.
3. Detentions & Arbitrary
• 29,565 people have been arrested, including over 36 women and girls
• Hundreds of youth falsely labelled as “militants” or “OGWs”
• Most detainees have been booked under draconian laws**, such as Public Safety Act (PSA) and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA)
4. CASOs & Property Destruction
• 22,385 cordon and search operations (CASOs) conducted by Indian troops across IIOJK
• Over 1,165 residential houses damaged/destroyed
• 137 women molested or humiliated during raids
• Over 500 properties of activists seized by agencies such as NIA, SIU, and SIA with paramilitary and police support
5. Widows and Orphans
• 76 women widowed
• 208 children orphaned
6. Prominent Political Prisoners
• Thousands of Kashmiris remain imprisoned without fair trial, including, Masarrat Aalam Butt, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Muhammad Yasin Malik, Nayeem Ahmed Khan, Aasiya Andrabi, Fehmeeda Sofi, Naheeda Nasreen, Ayaz Muhammad Akbar, Peer Saifullah, Raja Merajuddin Kalwal, Shahid-ul-Islam, Farooq Ahmed Dar, Mushtaqul Islam, Ameer Hamza, Maulvi Bashir Irfani, Bilal Siddiqi, Adv Mian Abdul Qayoom, Dr Hameed Fayaz, Adv Zahid Ali, Zafar Akbar Butt, Muhammad Rafiq Ganai, Hayat Ahmed Butt, Umar Adil Dar, Dr Muhammad Qasim Fakhtoo, Ghulam Qadir Butt, Muhammad Shafi Shariati, Firdous Ahmed Shah, Abdul Ahmad Parra, Showket Hakeem, Mehrajidin Nanda, Waheed Ahmad Gojri, Mehmood Toopewali, Feroz Adil Zargar, Dawood Zargar, Noor Muhammad Fayaz, Assadullah Parrey, human rights activists, Khurram Parviaz, , Irfan Majeed, and Indian parliament member Engineer Rasheed.
• Journalists, ulemas, businessmen, and students are also under prolonged detention without charges
7. Suppression of Press and Information
• The 2020 Media Policy intensified press censorship
• Journalists face harassment; reports are monitored and vetted by Indian army or police
• Independent journalism has been virtually silenced
8. Socio-Political and Cultural Impact
• Economic strangulation, widespread unemployment, and land dispossession
• Issuance of domicile certificates to non-Kashmiris on large-scale to change demographic makeup
• Imposition of Hindi/Sanskrit and erasure of local languages and history from school curricula
9. International Appeal
The report urges the United Nations and global community to:
• Hold India accountable for its grave human rights violations
• Support the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination
• Implement UN Security Council resolutions on Kashmir
10. Kashmiri Resilience
Despite unrelenting repression, the report concludes:
• “The spirit of resistance among the Kashmiris remains unbroken. They continue their just struggle for freedom and the right to plebiscite.”
