'Our Identity Is At Stake': In Kashmir, Shopkeepers Refuse To Open Despite Easing Of Restrictions

Despite the partial relaxation, an informal but widespread boycott by students, shopkeepers, and public and private sector workers are taking place across the valley.
A month after India withdrew contested Kashmir’s autonomy, locked it down with thousands of additional troops and made mass arrests, residents are resisting attempts by authorities to show some signs of normalcy returning in the Muslim-majority valley.

On August 5, Prime Minister Narendra Modi revoked special rights for Jammu and Kashmir state, striking down long-standing constitutional provisions for the Himalayan region, which is also claimed by neighboring Pakistan. To dampen the possibility of widespread protests, India flooded Kashmir – already one of the world’s most militarised zones – with troops, imposed severe movement restrictions, and snapped all telephone, mobile phone and internet connections. Thousands of people were arrested. New Delhi has since eased some of the curbs although no one detained has been freed and mobile and internet connections remain suspended. Officials in Jammu and Kashmir’s summer capital Srinagar say that 90 percent of the Kashmir valley is free of restrictions on daytime movement, some landline phone connections have been restored and thousands of schools have re-opened. However, checkpoints remain in place and communication restrictions make reporting from the region difficult.