Protest letters to President, PM from prominent citizens: Kashmir situation ‘unacceptable’

A group of 284 eminent Indian citizens – including academics, journalists, political leaders and others – have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind, calling the current clampdown in Kashmir “unacceptable”.The signatories have said the Centre’s decision to read down Article 370 and bifurcate Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories was taking without consulting locals, “and we still do not know how the people of Jammu and Kashmir feel”.

Kashmir

They also quoted a recent Kerala high court decision which said that the right to internet is a fundamental right, and said that internet services must be restored in the Valley on humanitarian grounds.

The full text of their petition and the list of signatories is below.


The people of the Kashmir valley and parts of Jammu have been under a security, political and communications lockdown since August 5, 2019. Thousands of troops man the entrances and exits to their homes, schools and universities. Hundreds of political leaders, including former Chief Ministers and legislators are under ‘preventive detention’. Mobile phones are blocked and internet snapped. Businesses have lost thousands of crores.

At the same time, our government has removed Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution and divided the state into two Union Territories. Both steps were taken without consultation with the people of the former state or their elected leaders. It has been 68* days since the lockdown and we still do not know how the people of Jammu and Kashmir feel. We are unable even to speak to our friends and relatives in the valley.

On humanitarian grounds, we find this situation unacceptable. The government should restore mobile and internet connections, which were declared a fundamental right just recently by the Kerala High Court.

On democratic grounds, too, we find this situation unacceptable. If the government can take away freedom of expression and the right to debate legislation that affects their lives in Jammu and Kashmir, what prevents them from doing so across the country?

It is not too late to roll-back the lockdown, hold legislative assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir and let the people decide on Article 370 and statehood. We appeal to the government to do so.

*When the petition was first started the count was 52 days. This figure has been updated to the date of sending the petition.

Signed:

  1. Ammu Abraham Mumbai, India
  2. Rekha Achuthan Hyderabad, India
  3. Anivek Abrol Chandigarh, India
  4. Leela Acharya Toronto, Canada
  5. Faisal Adil Tucson, Arizona, US
  6. Imtiaz Ahmad New Delhi, India
  7. Swaminathan Aiyar New Delhi, India
  8. Mani Shankar Aiyar, Delhi, India
  9. Jamila Akhter North Brunswick, New Jersey
  10. Shabnam Ali Dubai, United Arab Emirates
  11. Shuaib Amin India
  12. Arvinder Ansari India
  13. MM Ansari India
  14. Andrew Late.T. Arulappan Chennai, India
  15. Vidya Das Arora, India
  16. Minoo Awari Kodaikanl, India
  17. Zarreen Babu Kodaikanal, India
  18. Vijay Badami New Delhi, India
  19. Nandita Baig India
  20. Niloufer B Mumbai, India
  21. Zarine Bath Delhi, India
  22. Ishanjli Barla India
  23. Zuhaib Bashir Dubai, United Arab Emirates
  24. Champak Basu Kolkota, India
  25. Poonam Batra India
  26. Eijaz Bazaz India
  27. Selena Bedi Kapurthala, India
  28. Sharad Behar Bhopal, India
  29. Madhu Bhaduri Bangalore, India
  30. Prabha Bhalla Kolkata, India
  31. Gulzar Bhat India
  32. Shahnawaz Bhat Mumbai, India
  33. Indra Bhatia India
  34. Saumyajit Bhattacharya Delhi, India
  35. Raju Bhosale Vadodara, India
  36. Neera Burra India
  37. Rani Day Burra India
  38. Sundar Burra India
  39. Pankaj Butalia Delhi, India
  40. June Carvalho Bangalore, India
  41. Suhas Chakma Delhi, India
  42. Ramesh Chand New Delhi, India
  43. Satish Chand India
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  45. Paul Chandhok Albuquerque, India
  46. Neera Chandoke Delhi India
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  91. Roomana Hukil Hamilton, Canada
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  96. Devaki Jain Hyderabad, India
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  102. Prem Shankar Jha India
  103. Radhika Jha Athens, Greece
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  106. Seema Jha Hyderabad, India
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  171. Sachin N New Delhi, India
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  181. Sujata Patel Shimla, India
  182. Vince Patram Morristown, New Jersey, US
  183. Lynda Paul Pune, India
  184. Gopal Pillai India
  185. Sonali Pinheiro Kuwait, Kuwait
  186. Subbarao Prabhala India
  187. Anita Prabhu New Castle, Pennsylvania, US
  188. Lavanya Raghavan Montclair, New Jersey, US
  189. Sujata Raghavan New Delhi, India
  190. Alok Rai Allahabad, India
  191. Anil Rai New Delhi, India
  192. Badri Raina Delhi, India
  193. Rajagopal K Trivandrum, India
  194. Aruna Rajkumar India
  195. Akhileshwari Ramagoud Hyderabad, India
  196. Rajesh Ramakrishnan Chennai, India
  197. Vasanthi Raman India
  198. Goda Ramana Visakhapatnam, India
  199. Lalita Ramdas Alibag/Secunderabad, India
  200. Vani Ramkumar Shimoga, India
  201. Maya Rao Delhi, India
  202. Mohan Rao Bangalore, India
  203. M Y Rao Trivandrum, India
  204. Komal Rashid Lorton, Virginia, US
  205. Zeba Rashid India
  206. N Ravi Hyderabad, India
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  208. Vibhor Relhan Delhi, India
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  213. Anand Sahay New Delhi, India
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  216. Varun Sahni Pune, India
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  218. Kim Samuel Salem, India
  219. Vijai Sankar Chennai, India 2019-09-28
  220. K Satchidanandan Delhi, India
  221. Ratna Sarawgi Kolkata, India
  222. Vetri Selvan Singapore
  223. Aatreyee Sen Dharamsala, India
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  225. Debjani Sengupta Delhi, India
  226. Sushmita Sengupta India
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  228. Manisha Sethi New Delhi India
  229. Shah Aamir Dubai, United Arab Emirates
  230. Abid Shah Ghaziabad, India
  231. Amit Shah Somerville, Massachusetts, US
  232. N D Sharma Bhopal, India
  233. Nidhi Sharma Delhi, India
  234. Natasha Sharma El Paso, Texas, US
  235. Prateeksha Sharma Delhi, India
  236. Shamim Sherwani India
  237. Deepak Shukla India
  238. Sonia Shukla Delhi India
  239. Angad Singh P India
  240. Charan Singh Granada hills, California, US
  241. Geetbani Singh India
  242. Kanishka Singh India
  243. Tanya Singh Delhi, India
  244. Updesh Singh Reading, England, UK
  245. Rekha Sinha Mumbai, India
  246. Manali Bhandare Singhal India
  247. Nusrat Sohail East Brunswick, New Jersey, US
  248. N Sriram Bangalore, India
  249. Antony Stephen Coimbatore, India
  250. K R Subash India
  251. Arun Subramanium Bangalore, India
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  253. Kadayam Subramanian New Delhi, India
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  280. Mudassir Wani Dammam, Saudi Arabia
  281. Shahid Wani Delhi, India
  282. P Yesuthasen Chennai, India
  283. Muhammad Nadeem Yousuf Venice, Italy
  284. Snober Zaffer Ludhiana, India

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