Name: Inside the Kashmir That India Doesn't Want the World to See | The Dispatch
Uploaded: 2019-08-28T03:34:33.000Z
Duration: 5 min 44 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

It's Friday on the streets of Kashmir's largest city.

It's the day Muslims normally gather to pray.

But in recent weeks, it's also become a day of protest.

Indian authorities are working hard to keep a lid on displays like this.

As protests break out across Kashmir, Indian officials repeat what has become a well-worn soundbite.

There have been no major law and order situation reported from across the Valley.

And the situation is returning back slowly to the normal.

Kashmir has been a conflict zone for decades.

But when India moved to strip the region of its autonomy on August 5th, the situation came to this:

Thousands more troops and a curfew bringing daily life to a standstill.

Phone lines and internet access were shut down, cutting off around eight million Kashmiris from the outside world.

So we came to see what's actually happening here.

We visit a neighborhood known for frequent clashes between protesters and Indian security forces.

Fahmida Shagoo was at home with her children and her in-laws on August 9th.

Police started firing tear gas at protesters outside.

Fahmida's husband, Rafiq, helped rush her to the hospital.

A sudden death and no one to hold accountable.

We really demand justice. But, from who? I don't know if we'll get justice, my kids will get justice. I don't know.

In addition to tear gas, for years, Indian forces have used pellet guns to quell unrest in Kashmir.

These shotguns fire cartridges full of lead pellets that lodge themselves in the flesh.

They are supposedly non-lethal, but can cause life-changing disabilities.

Parvez Sofi says he was at home when he heard a commotion outside.

When he opened the door to see what was happening, he became a target.

In the name of maintaining law and order, Indian forces have license to shoot with near impunity in Kashmir.

There is no official number for the injured.

But in just one hospital here, sources told us over 60 people had been admitted with pellet wounds since the lockdown began.

And lives here have been upended in other ways too.

This woman's 22-year-old son, Mehraj Ud-Din, was arrested.

Since then, authorities have been giving her conflicting information.

Since early August, thousands have been arrested without being charged.

And there's no indication when or if they'll be released.

It's, it's their media. They can say anything. They are not showing us what's happening around us. They call it 'normalcy'. Nothing is normal here.

My kids, they are asking me every night why Mama has died. It's really hard.

Although some landlines have been reconnected, Kashmir is still largely cut off from the rest of the world.

That helps authorities keep stories like these quiet.

But as the days pass, they're getting louder.