Hundreds protest in Delhi demanding statehood for Indian Kashmir

July 20 - Hundreds of ‌people led ​by ​the chief minister of Indian Kashmir shouted slogans and staged a protest in the capital Delhi ‌on Monday, demanding statehood for the region, seven years ⁠after it was turned into a federal territory.

• Protesters were stopped by ‌police from staging their ‌demonstration, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said in a post on X, which had videos and pictures of people holding ​posters and shouting slogans.

• "This is only the beginning of our struggle for statehood, our rights, our dignity and ⁠everything that was taken away from us," Abdullah said in the post.

• In August ​2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi revoked Jammu and Kashmir state's partial autonomy, removed its statehood and ​divided it into two federally-controlled territories: ‌Muslim-majority Kashmir with Hindu-dominated Jammu; and a Buddhist territory of Ladakh.

• The government has since ⁠said statehood to the Himalayan region will be restored at the "appropriate time" but has not given a deadline.

• Abdullah and his ⁠party, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, have said statehood should be ​restored at the earliest, in keeping with the government's promise.

• Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party leaders say the protest is an attempt to divert ‌attention from what they call are governance failures of Abdullah's government.

• India and Pakistan both ‌claim Muslim-majority Kashmir in full, but rule it in part. ⁠India has long accused Pakistan ‌of aiding separatists ​who have battled security forces in Indian Kashmir, accusations Islamabad denies.

(Writing by Shilpa Jamkhandikar; Editing by YP ‌Rajesh)

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