Over the weekend Indian security forces fired iron pellets into a peaceful Muslim procession in Kashmir that included children, citing the pandemic restrictions on large gatherings even though several Hindu pilgrimages have been allowed to continue. Although pellet fire has been used to quell political protests, this is the first time the government has used the condemned use of pellet fire on the Shia Muslim Muharram procession.
Read MoreThousands of Kashmiri youth have been arrested on vague charges under a law that allows detentions up to two years before a trial. We spoke to their families.
Read MoreAfter India’s unilateral decision to rid the Muslim-majority region Kashmir’s special autonomy from the constitution, some are angry and fear a rise in Hindu settlement, while others cheer the move as a way to help Hindu and Sikh refugees from Pakistan and Kashmir.
Read MoreAs the Indian government’s communication ban reaches two weeks, it announced that 50,000 landline connections have been restored for calls after crowds surged last week to the few phones available from government offices. Internet and mobile networks remain shut.
Read MoreThe Hindu nationalist-led Indian government has stripped Muslim-majority Kashmir of its agreed-upon terms of accession, a special status granting autonomy under the Indian constitution, and sent in more than 40,000 troops to the already heavily militarized region. Kashmiris there are living under curfews without access to phones, Internet or cable TV channels while elected representatives are under house arrest.
Read MoreThe Indian government is reportedly forming a new plan to resettle thousands of Kashmiri Hindus back to the Kashmir Valley, an army-occupied territory disputed with Pakistan. The plan would likely further inflame Hindu-Muslim tensions.
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