Hundreds of protesters led by Chief Minister (CM) Omar Abdullah of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IoJK) have staged a demonstration in New Delhi, demanding the restoration of statehood for the territory, seven years after its special status was revoked.
The protest comes as part of ongoing demonstrations at Jantar Mantar where thousands of students from across the country have gathered to call for education reforms and the resignation of Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET exam paper leak scandal.
Police stopped the protesters from advancing, Omar Abdullah said in a post on X with videos and pictures of participants holding posters and chanting slogans.
“The struggle is only the beginning for our statehood, our rights, our dignity, and everything that was taken away,” he added.
In August 2019, the Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi-led Indian government revoked Articles 370 and 35A of the Constitution, stripping the troubled valley of its special autonomous status, separate constitution and statehood.
The territory was subsequently divided into two federally controlled jurisdictions: Jammu and Kashmir, and the Buddhist-majority territory of Ladakh.
New Delhi has maintained that statehood will be restored at an “appropriate time” without providing a definitive timeline.
Abdullah and the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference have continuously pressed for the immediate reinstatement of statehood in line with earlier government promises.
