Key facts
- Hundreds protested in Delhi demanding statehood for Indian Kashmir.
- The protest was led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
- Police stopped protesters from staging their demonstration.
- Jammu and Kashmir's statehood was revoked and the region divided into federal territories in August 2019.
- The government has not provided a deadline for restoring statehood.
Hundreds of people, led by the chief minister of Indian Kashmir, protested in the capital Delhi on Monday, demanding the restoration of statehood for the region. The demonstration occurred seven years after the region was converted into a federal territory.
Police prevented protesters from staging their demonstration, according to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who shared videos and images of the event on X. Abdullah stated that the protest marked the beginning of their struggle for statehood, rights, and dignity.
In August 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government revoked Jammu and Kashmir's partial autonomy, removed its statehood, and divided it into two federally-controlled territories: Kashmir and Ladakh. The government has indicated that statehood will be restored at an "appropriate time" but has not set a specific deadline.
Abdullah and his party, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, are urging for the earliest possible restoration of statehood, aligning with the government's stated promise. Leaders from Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, however, suggested the protest was a tactic to distract from perceived governance failures by Abdullah's administration.
Kashmir is a disputed territory claimed in full by both India and Pakistan, though each administers a portion. India has accused Pakistan of supporting separatists in Indian Kashmir, allegations that Islamabad denies.