Armed security personnel stand guard near Ghanta Ghar as security tightens in and around Lal Chowk on the 7th anniversary of the revocation of Article 370, in Srinagar on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: ANI
The Story So Far: On the seventh anniversary of abrogation of provisions of Article 370, which once granted autonomous status to the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir, the Forum for Human Rights in Jammu and Kashmir, in its annual report, strongly advocated the restoration of full Statehood and repealing of the J&K Reorganization Act 2019. The Forum has become the first major civil society group pitching for outreach to J&K, which has been in the throes of militancy for the past three decades.
What is this Forum all about?
The Forum for Human Rights in Jammu and Kashmir came into being after the Centre ended special status in 2019. At present, Gopal Pillai, former Home Secretary, Government of India and Radha Kumar, former member, Group of Interlocutors for Jammu and Kashmir, co-chair it. Several judges — Justice Ruma Pal, former judge of the Supreme Court of India; Justice A.P. Shah, former Chief Justice of the Madras and Delhi High Courts; Justice Bilal Nazki, former Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court; Justice Hasnain Masoodi, former judge of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court; and Justice Anjana Prakash, former judge of the Patna High Court are also its members. From the security side, Major-General Ashok Mehta (retd); Air Vice-Marshal Kapil Kak (retd); Lieutenant-General H.S. Panag (retd) and Colonel Yoginder Kandhari (retd) are its members. It calls itself “an informal group of concerned citizens” who could flag human rights violations from J&K and Ladakh. The Forum has produced seven annual reports so far.
What is the new revelation in the latest report?
The report stands out for highlighting the 2025 Red Fort attack, which left eight civilians dead. The Forum suggested that it indicated that there was “scattered revival of homegrown militancy” in J&K directed against Indian citizens and infrastructure. It pointed out the failure to intercept Umar Un Nabi, a doctor from Kashmir, despite arrests and raids on his group in Faridabad. It suggests extremely poor coordination between the Delhi police and the Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana police, “a fault that can be attributed to shoddy monitoring by the Union Home Ministry”. It said while vowing revenge on the Red Fort attackers, Union Home Minister Amit Shah took no responsibility for the lapse that allowed Nabi to drive to the Red Fort without being intercepted. The Forum’s report highlighted that there was considerable anger in J&K at the Union and Lieutenant-Governor administrations’ actions post the Red Fort attack. It said reportedly 500 were detained following the Red Fort attack.
What headway is suggested for J&K?
The Forum strongly advocated full Statehood for J&K. It pointed out that it was for the first time in independent India that an existing State has been demoted to Union Territory status. It suggested that this demotion contravened Articles 1 and 3 of the Constitution of India and the basic structure doctrine that India is a federal democracy in which states’ rights must be respected, which has been a bedrock of Indian unity for over half a century. It reminded the Centre of the words of the then Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, who “urged the Union administration to restore Statehood at the soonest, while setting a deadline for Assembly elections to be held by end September 2024”. It cautioned that there was a danger that the Union administration would again argue that the time is not appropriate for restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s Statehood, given the Red Fort terrorist attack. Not only is that argument not tenable, but it can also be argued that this is exactly the time to do so, the Forum said. For peacebuilding, restoration of Statehood is a critical first step, it added.
Why a word of praise for the J&K judiciary?
The Forum’s report has a word of praise for the judiciary’s role in J&K. On the positive side, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court issued a series of orders quashing detentions under the Public Safety Act (PSA) and granting bail under both the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the PSA. It, however, noted that the Court’s exasperation with arbitrary charges has been evident and increasing over the past two years, but we are constrained to note that its repeated strictures do not appear to have led to course correction by the Jammu and Kashmir police, who are under Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha’s supervision. The report pointed out the use of UAPA against protesters who demonstrated over the assassination of Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28, 2026, against Jamia Siraj-ul-Uloom, a school run by Siraj-ul-Uloom Educational Society in south Kashmir’s Shopian and against political leaders, including a sitting legislator.
What recommendations are made for Ladakh?
The Forum has asked the Centre to accept Ladakh’s demand for Statehood and inclusion in the Sixth Schedule. It also called for “expediting police reforms in Ladakh”. Referring to violence of September 2025, the Forum has suggested a fast-track police review of cases under the PSA and UAPA, with a view to withdrawing all those that are misapplied or based on inadequate evidence, which will revive some sorely-needed confidence in justice delivery. It also underlined the need to establish a Ladakh human rights commission.
Published – August 06, 2026 09:41 am IST
