A group of civil society members travelled across Kashmir from August 9 to 13 and returned with facts that lie in sharp contrast to the Indian government’s version of events.
The team of four civil liberties activists – renowned economist Jean Dreze, women’s movement activists Kavita Krishnan and Maimoona Mollah, and Vimal Bhai from the National Alliance of People’s Movement (NAPM) – held a press conference at the Press Club of India on Wednesday to share what they had witnessed.
Describing the situation on the ground as grim, the team said there is a widespread feeling of betrayal on the ground.
They found that many young men and women have been taken into custody illegally. The team also said that at least 600 political activists, social workers, civil rights activists have been detained at various places.