Critics denounce the move as illegal, fear it will allow the
ruling Bharatiya Janata Party to flout Indian constitution.
New Delhi, India - Hundreds of people have rallied in
the Indian capital to protest against the scrapping of a constitutional
provision that granted special status to Indian-administered Kashmir.
In the lead-up to its controversial move on Monday,
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi's government sent thousands of additional troops to the
disputed region, imposing a curfew on parts of it, arrested political leaders
and shut down telecommunication lines.
Calling it the "death of Indian democracy", the
protesters in New Delhi on Wednesday demanded the recently
re-elected government of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) reconsider
its decision.
"The way they [BJP] brought the legislation and the way
they got the abrogation of Article 370, it's an assault on the Indian
democracy; it's an assault on our constitution; it's an assault on the federal
principles of our democratic polity," said Doraisamy Raja, general
secretary of the Communist Party of India.
Raja said similar protests were being held in other parts of
the country and organisers planned to continue mobilising people.
On Monday morning, Amit Shah, India's minister of home
affairs and a close ally of Modi, announced in the BJP-led parliament the
decision to abolish Article 370 of the constitution, stripping Jammu and
Kashmir of its special status.
The constitutional provision was the basis of the
Muslim-majority state's accession to the Indian union in 1947 when erstwhile
princely states had the choice to join either newly-independent India or Pakistan.
The article, which came into effect in 1949, allowed the
state to have "limited autonomy" in certain areas and had prevented
non-residents from buying any property in the disputed region.
Article 35A was introduced in 1954 to continue the old
provisions of the territory regulations under Article 370. It empowered the
state's legislature to define "permanent residents" and provide
special rights and privileges to them.
"The Kashmiri people in 1947 joined India because they
thought their Kashmiri identity was important and they felt that their Kashmiri
autonomy as Kashmiris will be safer with secular India rather than Pakistan and
Article 370 was that promise to them," said Kavita Krishnan, a member
of Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation.
In announcing the move on Monday, Shah argued that it was
meant to help in the territory's integration into India and its governance
structures.
"Because of Article 370, democracy never took root in
J&K [Jammu and Kashmir], corruption flourished, widespread poverty
took root and no socio-economic infrastructure could come up."
But the move, which risks escalating already-heightened
tensions with neighbouring Pakistan, is expected to face legal challenges.
"The decision was taken in absence of an elected legislative
assembly in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, so we will fight this decision both
legally and politically," said Shehla Rashid, a former student
activist and member of the newly floated Jammu and Kashmir People's Movement
political party, condemned the move:
Krishnan called it an attack on India's federal
constitution.
"If they have got rid of that page [Article 370] of
India's constitution, every other page is in danger as well," she said.
'Loss of our identity'
Holding placards, the protesters raised anti-Modi and
anti-Shah placards as they marched from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar.
A demonstrator from New Delhi, who wished not to be named,
said: "I have joined the protest because I feel ashamed that how can our
government not consult the people of a state about whom it's made such a big
decision. It's a clear violation of democratic process and is an insult to
Indian democracy."
She added: "Government says it will open investment but
it will lead to more protest as the Kashmiris were completely left out from the
decision making."
Several Kashmiri students said they had not been able to
speak to their families for a third straight day due to the communication
blackout.
"India claims to be the world's biggest democracy but
the world has today seen what kind of democracy it is," said Mehvish, a
Kashmiri student protesting in New Delhi.
"We have not been able to speak to our families for
days now and this government doesn't care about our pain, the trauma we go
through. What they care about is the Kashmiri land and nothing else," she
said.
"Revoking Article 370 means loss of our identity as
Kashmiris."
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