India Today – August 19, 2019

AUGUST19, 2019 INDIATODAY 13

THEMODI GOVERNMENT

‘DILUTES’ARTICLE 370

TO STRIP KASHMIROF

ITS SPECIALSTATUS

AND BIFURCATES

J&K INTOTWOUNION

TERRITORIES.WILLIT

MAKE ORBREAK THE

TROUBLED REGION?

ByUdayMahurkarandKaushikDeka

withAbhishekBhallainSrinagar

O

nthemorningofAugust5,locals

inJammuandKashmirwokeup

toacommunicationsblackoutand

acurfew.Whiletheywereasleep,

signalbarsonmobilephonesvan-

ishedandtheinternetwasturned

off.Inafirstinrecentyears,land-

linestooweresevered.India’s

northernmoststate,itseemed,

hadtravelledbackintime.Thousandsofparamilitaryperson-

nel,mostofwhomhadbeenflowninongiantIAFC-17heavy-

liftaircraftinseveralwavesoverthepastfewdays,fannedout

intothestreetstoenforcethecurfew.Tendaysbeforethe72nd

anniversaryofIndia’smidnight‘TrystwithDestiny’,thestage

wasbeingsetforanothertectonicshift:the‘dilution’ofArticle

370 oftheIndianConstitutionandthebifurcationofJ&Kto

createtwoUnionterritories—Jammu&KashmirandLadakh.

ThepassageoftheJ&KReorganisationBillbyParliamenton

August 6 meansIndianowhas 28 statesandnineUnionter-

ritories.Itisthefirsttimeastateinthecountryhasbeen

turnedintoaUnionterritory.

Article 370 wasa‘temporaryprovision’includedinthe

ConstitutiononOctober17,1949.ItexemptedJ&Kfrom

theIndianConstitutionandpermittedthestatetodraftits

ownconstitution.Itsdilutionhasdoneawaywithallofthe

DOWNSIZING KASHMIR