On 5 August 2019, Home Minister Amit Shah announced in the Rajya Sabha that a Presidential Order would be issued to abrogate Article 370 of the Constitution of India, which provides special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. He further said that Jammu and Kashmir would be bifurcated into two Union Territories: UT of Jammu & Kashmir (with legislature) and UT of Ladak (without legislature). A resolution to this effect was passed by the Rajya Sabha on the same day. The Build-up Ahead of this announcement, the Union Government sent additional troops to the state to ‘maintain peace and order’ in wake of an ‘intelligence input’. They went to the extent of taking an unprecedented decision of suddenly cancelling the Amarnath Yatra. Mainstream political leaders like former Chief Ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti were placed under house arrest, communication services were withdrawn and curfew was imposed (it continues even now). What is Article 370? Article...
A collection of personal views on contemporary issues