Rights Group Led by G.K. Pillai Denied Permission to Release J&K Report in Srinagar

Former Home Secretary G.K. Pillai-led rights group was on Tuesday denied police permission to release its annual human rights report in Srinagar, ahead of the seventh anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370. The Forum for Human Rights in Jammu and Kashmir, which includes former Supreme Court judge Justice Madan B. Lokur and former Kashmir interlocutor Radha Kumar, was scheduled to hold the release event on August 7 at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC).

Retired Air Vice Marshal Kapil Kak, a member of the Forum, expressed disappointment over the denial. “To our utter disappointment, the J&K police have disallowed the use of SKICC for the release of our report. We are thus compelled to cancel the report release function,” he said.

The Forum has in previous years highlighted issues such as arbitrary detentions and provided an assessment of the political and security situation in the region, where the Centre ended special status on August 5, 2019. Ms. Kumar said the group would now visit party offices to present its findings to party heads and their legislators.

Reaction came swiftly from regional leaders. Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti termed the denial “deeply disturbing and utterly deplorable,” alleging that it reinforces the perception that Jammu and Kashmir has been turned into an “open-air prison” where documenting the truth has been criminalised. She lauded the efforts of Ms. Kumar, Mr. Pillai, and Mr. Kak for producing a report reflecting ground realities.

Meanwhile, several political parties in Kashmir announced plans to observe August 5 as a day of protest. The PDP said it would organise district-wise protests demanding restoration of Articles 370 and 35A, reinstatement of statehood, and protection of constitutional guarantees. National Conference (NC) MPs Aga Ruhullah and Chowdry Mohammad Ramzan will hold special programmes in Delhi. The Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) led by Engineer Rashid declared August 5 as a “black day.”

In contrast, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) plans to celebrate the anniversary. BJP J&K spokesperson Altaf Thakur said August 5, 2019, was a “defining moment” that ended uncertainty and paved the way for peace, prosperity, and equal rights. He argued that the region had previously been trapped in a cycle of hartals, stone pelting, and terrorism, and that youth now prefer “books over bullets.”

In light of the anniversary, security has been intensified in Jammu and Kashmir. Officials confirmed additional deployments in several sensitive areas of the Kashmir valley.