On August 5, 2019, the Government of India made a decision that fundamentally altered the constitutional status of Jammu & Kashmir. Article 370 — which had given J&K special autonomous status since 1949 — was effectively revoked. It was made without consulting the people it affected most.
What Article 370 Did
Article 370 gave Jammu & Kashmir significant autonomy — its own constitution, its own flag, and control over most matters except defence, communications, and foreign affairs. Crucially, it restricted outsiders from buying property or settling permanently in J&K — a provision designed to protect the demographic character of the region.
How It Was Revoked
The revocation was done through a presidential order and a parliamentary resolution, with the J&K state assembly — dissolved at the time — unable to consent or object. The move was accompanied by one of the most extensive security deployments in the region’s history, a near-total communications blackout, and the detention of hundreds of political leaders.
The Immediate Impact
For Kashmiris, the revocation was experienced as a sudden rupture. Phones went dead. Internet was cut. People could not reach their families or tell the world what was happening. Curfews were imposed. Schools were closed. The region was sealed off while a major constitutional change was imposed upon it.
“What happened on August 5, 2019 was not democracy. A democracy consults its people before rewriting their constitutional status.”