High profile Indian human rights forum calls for full statehood to J&K

SRINAGAR (MNTV) — An independent human rights forum has called for the immediate restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, warning that the region remains politically unstable despite improvements in the security situation and that human rights concerns continue to mount seven years after the revocation of its special constitutional status.

The high-profile Forum for Human Rights in Jammu and Kashmir comprising former judges of Supreme Court and several high courts, heads of premier human rights bodies, military officials and high government functionaries issued the warning in its annual report titled Jammu and Kashmir: Seven Years Under Union Rule, covering the period from August 2025 to July 2026. 

The body is co-chaired by Gopal Pillai, former Union Home Secretary, and Radha Kumar, former member of the Government of India’s Group of Interlocutors on Jammu and Kashmir. Its members include former Supreme Court judge Justice Ruma Pal; former Chief Justice of the Delhi and Madras High Courts Justice A.P. Shah; former Orissa High Court Chief Justice Justice Bilal Nazki; former Jammu and Kashmir High Court judge Justice Hasnain Masoodi; former National Human Rights Commission Secretary-General Probir Sen; historian Ramachandra Guha; former NCPCR chairperson Shantha Sinha; retired senior military officers including Lt Gen H.S. Panag, Maj Gen Ashok Mehta and Air Vice Marshal Kapil Kak. 

The report examines developments in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, and Pakistan-administered territories of Jammu and Kashmir. It describes the past year as one marked by “contradictory trends,” noting that while armed conflict declined, political discontent and governance challenges deepened. 

It says the November 2025 Red Fort bombing highlighted a revival of “homegrown militancy,” while growing demands for the restoration of statehood reflected increasing dissatisfaction with governance under the Union Territory administration.

According to the report, security measures across Jammu and Kashmir intensified significantly following the Red Fort attack. Authorities introduced unprecedented precautions for the annual Amarnath Yatra, including multilayered security grids, no-fly zones, QR code-based identification for service providers, CCTV surveillance, and restrictions on civilian traffic along major highways.

It argues that these measures, while intended to improve security, also contributed to public resentment. Large-scale detentions following the Red Fort bombing and the killing of a police constable in Anantnag fueled anger among residents, with hundreds of people questioned after the bombing and more than 2,000 reportedly detained following the later shooting, it says.

The report is also critical of the Indian government’s handling of the aftermath of the Red Fort attack, saying authorities failed to prevent a backlash against Kashmiri Muslims across India. It says reports emerged of housing discrimination, forced evictions, harassment by landlords, and hostility toward Kashmiri Muslims in workplaces, educational institutions, and public spaces.

The Forum says the Home Ministry failed to take preventive action despite anticipating such reprisals, and contrasts the response with measures taken after previous terrorist incidents, when central authorities issued advisories to protect Kashmiri students and residents.

A major focus of the report is the continued concentration of administrative authority in the office of the Lieutenant-Governor. It argues that the elected Jammu and Kashmir government has little effective power despite being accountable to voters, while key decisions remain under the control of an unelected administration.

The report also criticizes the granting of emergency telecommunications powers to the Lieutenant-Governor, saying the move further weakens democratic governance.

The Forum reiterates its long-standing recommendation that Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood be restored without delay and supports ongoing political campaigns seeking that objective. It also expresses disappointment that the elected administration has not reinstated the Human Rights Commission, Women’s Commission, Child Rights Commission, or other oversight institutions abolished after the constitutional changes of 2019.

At the same time, the report highlights what it describes as an encouraging trend in judicial oversight.

It notes that the Jammu and Kashmir High Court increasingly quashed detention orders issued under the Public Safety Act (PSA) and granted bail in cases brought under both the PSA and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Judges repeatedly criticized authorities for relying on weak evidence, procedural flaws, and arbitrary application of preventive detention laws.

However, the Forum says many of those released had already spent lengthy periods in custody before obtaining relief, and it argues that repeated judicial criticism has not resulted in meaningful police reforms.

The report paints a bleak economic picture, saying unemployment remains roughly twice the national average while the region’s apple industry suffered one of its worst seasons in a decade. It alleges that demolitions of tribal homes continued in violation of the Forest Rights Act.

In neighboring Ladakh, the report says tensions remained high following police firing on demonstrators in September 2025 that left four people dead and around 90 injured.

The Forum says negotiations between the Home Ministry, the Apex Body Leh, and the Kargil Democratic Alliance have continued for more than three years over demands for statehood and constitutional protections under the Sixth Schedule. It notes that recent informal discussions suggest a possible compromise involving special status under Article 371, although no agreement has yet been reached.

For the first time, the annual report also includes a section on Pakistan-administered territories of Jammu and Kashmir.

It notes that large-scale protests led by the Joint Awami Action Committee have continued since October 2025, intensifying ahead of regional elections. The protesters are demanding electoral reforms, the abolition of reserved assembly seats for refugees, withdrawal of cases against civil society activists, lower electricity tariffs and food prices.

In its recommendations, the Forum urges the Government of India to restore Jammu and Kashmir’s full statehood, arguing that the 2019 reorganization undermined India’s federal constitutional framework. 

It recommends police reforms, withdrawal of improperly filed PSA and UAPA cases, reinstatement of independent oversight commissions, and the establishment of a dedicated human rights commission in Ladakh.

The report argues that restoring democratic institutions and strengthening accountability are essential to rebuilding public trust and addressing long-standing grievances across the region.