In Kashmir, Government’s Priority Should Be To Protect Civil Liberties scroll.in

Blacking out communication channels is a form of collective punishment that cripples daily lives and economic activities. “The number you have called has been temporarily disconnected,” is the message I hear every time I dial my friend’s phone in Srinagar. My friend remains unreachable for the 21st day on Monday. On August 5, the Bharatiya Janata Party led government announced the revocation of the special autonomous status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution and split the state into two Union Territories. Since then, the government has imposed extensive restrictions on fundamental freedoms in the state.