No Kashmiri Flag, Constitution Under Indian-Imposed Changes

India on Thursday formally implemented legislation approved by Parliament in early August that removes Indian-controlled Kashmir’s semi-autonomous status and begins the direct federal rule of the disputed area amid a harsh security lockdown and widespread public disenchantment.

The legislation divides the former state of Jammu-Kashmir into two federally governed territories.

The Hindu nationalist-led government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent thousands of additional troops and arrested anti-India as well as pro-India activists before imposing the changes in the Muslim-majority region. The most visible ones are the absence of Kashmir’s own flag and constitution, which were eliminated as part of the region’s new status.

But the most contentious change for many people is the threat of land grabs by Indians outside the region with the formal abrogation of a clause in the Indian Constitution that safeguarded Kashmiris’ exclusive right to land ownership.

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