A complete silence in Kashmir has marked the ongoing day-to-day hearings by the Supreme Court of the petitions pertaining to Article 370. This is unlike 2018, when shutdowns and seminars were being held whenever the top court heard petitions pertaining to Article 35A.
Kashmir has seen no public debate or seminar since the Supreme Court took up the petitions three days ago, unlike the past. Streets are silent and people avoid commenting over the issue. In fact, local dailies have also avoided any debate over Article 370, which was diluted by the Centre in 2019 and resulted in ending J&K’s special position of over seven decades.
“We don’t feel safe commenting about the subject. All are closely watching the hearings but I fear holding an opinion may land me in trouble,” a leading newspaper columnist told The Hindu on condition of anonymity. The columnist has stopped writing on the subject since 2019.
