Srinagar, Since August 5, 2019, when the Indian government, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), intensified its crackdown in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), there have been grave repercussions for the local population. A report from Kashmir Media Service reveals the heavy toll of human rights violations committed by Indian troops, paramilitary, and police personnel in the region.

According to Kashmir Media Service, the report meticulously documents the casualties and abuses faced by the Kashmiri people under the ongoing siege. Since 2019, Indian forces have martyred 859 individuals, including seventeen women, primarily through fake encounters and extrajudicial killings during cordon and search operations. These operations often falsely branded the victims as insurgents or supporters of resistance organizations, subsequently leading to significant loss of life.

The violence has resulted in the widowhood of 67 women and left 184 children orphaned. The report also outlines the arrest of 23,210 individuals, comprising Hurriyat leaders, political activists, journalists, human rights defenders, and even students and young boys, indicating a broad crackdown on dissent.

Damage to civilian property is another aspect of the siege, with 1,116 houses and structures reported damaged. The report further details the molestation or disgrace of 133 women by Indian forces during the period in question.

Highlighting the suppression of press freedom, the report mentions the arrest of notable Kashmiri journalists and the continued detention of human rights activist Khurram Parvaiz in Tihar jail, underscoring the Indian government’s repressive policies against media freedom and human rights advocacy in IIOJK.

Additionally, the report sheds light on the psychological toll on Indian forces stationed in the territory, noting 176 suicides among army, paramilitary, and police personnel since 2019.

Experts and analysts point to the BJP’s agenda to suppress political dissent and silence voices calling attention to human rights abuses and the deteriorating situation in IIOJK since the controversial abrogation of Article 370. They call for international media organizations to support independent journalism in the region and for global intervention to address the human rights crisis.