Jammu & Kashmir Disturbed Area Act was passed – twelve districts declared to be disturbed areas, thus empowering Indian forces to use lethal force “against any person indulging in any act which may result in serious breach of public order, acting in contravention of any law or order for the time being in force, or the carrying of weapons.”.

The infamous Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act is linked to the Disturbed Areas Act and both provide immunity to those exercising powers under the acts.

Indian force’s killing of popular pro-freedom rebel commander, Burhan Wani, sparked protests all over Kashmir. India imposed 53 days of continuous curfew and communication blockade with shoot-to-kill orders, arresting over 8,000 people without charges and killing over 100 while injuring over 15,000 Kashmiris.

Indian forces blinded hundreds of young Kashmiris by their use of pellet guns to stop protests. Even though Amnesty International called for the banning of the use of pellet guns, it is still widely used by Indian forces in Kashmir.

On 13 July 1931, thousands of Kashmiris flocked to the central jail in Srinagar to witness the trial of Abdul Qadeer, who was being charged for treason for an impromptu address against the atrocities against the Kashmiris. As the time for obligatory Friday prayer approached, a Kashmiri stood up to deliver the Adhan (call to prayer). The Dogra governor ordered his soldiers to open fire on them, in total 22 Kashmiris died in the firing.

Widespread protests erupt all over the country against Maharaja Hari Singh, but the revolt was brutally suppressed. It was a winter of the year 1932, the killing spree which had started on 13th July 1931 did not end. A string of protests broke out in multiple towns where over hundred civilians were killed.

On July 18, 2020, three Kashmiri youths named Imtiyaz Ahmed, Abrar Ahmed, & Mohammed Ibrar were killed in a fake encounter. An investigation later revealed that an Indian army captain named Bhoopendra Singh, along with two others, staged the encounter to receive a reward of around $30,000.

India rewards members of its armed forces for killing Kashmiris. This is not just linked to “rogue” elements within the army; it is an entire culture of impunity & war crimes in the Indian political establishment that sets the foundation of India’s occupation of Kashmir.

On October 22 1947, before the Hindu Dogra king of Kashmir could decide whether he wanted to join India or Pakistan, a rebellion against his rule took place, with tribal groups from Pakistan coming to support Kashmir’s Muslims. This was the first war fought between India and Pakistan. The war finally ended on January 1, 1949, when the United Nations arranged a ceasefire, with an established ceasefire line, a UN peacekeeping force and a recommendation that the referendum on the accession of Kashmir to India would be held as agreed earlier. That referendum has yet to be held. The ceasefire line was officially put in place in Karachi via the Karachi Agreement on July 27.

India is in control of two-thirds of the historic Kashmir state, while Pakistan has control over one-third, including the AJK (Azad ‘Free’ Jammu Kashmir). In 1962, India and China went to war, which resulted in India losing control over large tracts of land in Ladakh.