There are mounting concerns over civil rights abuses in Kashmir in India following the revocation of the regions autonomy. A post in Human Right Watch by Meenakshi Ganguly looks at the issue and advocates that the the protection of civil rights should be the government’s top priority. According to the post,

“The number you have called has been temporarily disconnected,” is the message I hear every time I dial my friend’s phone in Srinagar. My friend remains unreachable for the 21st day on Monday.

On August 5, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government announced the revocation of the special autonomous status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution, and split the state into two Union Territories. Since then, the government has imposed extensive restrictions on fundamental freedoms in the state.

The government deployed 40,000 additional troops to the region and set up expanded checkpoints that have been used to limit movement. In addition to phones, the internet has been shut down, cutting Kashmiris off from the rest of India and the world. “It’s a nightmare,” a Kashmiri woman said. “We are terrified for our families back home.”

See full story here.