The Left parties – Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist)-Liberation, All India Forward Bloc and Revolutionary Socialist Party – have issued the following statement on August 3.

AUGUST 5, 2020 marks one year of the abrogation of Article 370, the dissolving of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, and the caging of the people of J&K.

Last year, the Modi government made many tall promises about what this move would accomplish and how it would benefit India and the people of J&K. Meanwhile many warned that the Modi regime’s tyranny in Kashmir would soon be a blueprint for the whole of India. A year later, the government’s promises stand exposed betraying the people of J&K who continue to be caged and silenced.

The challenges to the abrogation of Article 370 and 35(A) of the Indian constitution are still pending before the Supreme Court.

The Left parties demand that all those detained since August 2019 must be released, full communications must be restored and the free movement of people allowed. This is essential for both combating the pandemic effectively and upholding constitutional guarantees on democratic rights and civil liberties while providing relief to the beleaguered people.