Kashmir
On Aug 05, 2019, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government withdrew Jammu and Kashmir’s semi-autonomy, and locked down the disputed Himalayan region.
All communication links were snapped, severe movement restrictions imposed and several thousand additional troops deployed.
I was among the first New Delhi-based correspondents to fly into Kashmir on Aug 05, and worked with a local colleague to file daily reports, circumventing the communication blackout and other restrictions.
Thousands protest in Indian Kashmir over new status despite clampdown
The first text report of a large protest in Kashmir’s main city of Srinagar, which was initially denied by federal authorities but later grudgingly accepted.
Full story here.
The transported: Kashmiri prisoners sent far from home
One is a 19-year-old construction worker charged with aiding militants against Indian troops, the other is one of Kashmir’s most prominent lawyers, accused of being “an incorrigible secessionist”.
Full story here.
A birth and a death amid Kashmir's harsh lockdown
Around the time Mohammad Sikander Bhat lay dying at home in Srinagar, Shafiq Ahmed was racing to get his pregnant wife to a hospital, negotiating about 85 km of highways through a maze of checkpoints.
Full story here.
Apples rot in Kashmir orchards as lockdown puts economy in tailspin
It’s harvest time, but the market in the northern Kashmiri town of Sopore - usually packed with people, trucks and produce at this time of year - is empty, while in orchards across Kashmir unpicked apples rot on the branch.
Full story here.
Kashmir protesters defy restrictions, clash with security forces
Security forces used tear gas against stone-throwing local residents in Indian Kashmir’s main city of Srinagar on Friday, after a third straight week of protests in the restive Soura district despite the imposition of tight restrictions.
Full story here.
Kashmir journalists frustrated by communications blockade
“This is the biggest story of our generation and we haven’t been able to report it,” said Faisul Yaseen, associate editor of Rising Kashmir, one of the handful of newspaper groups that is still publishing.
Full story here.