SANDEEP PANDEY AND COLLEAGUES ON PEACE YATRA REACH SRINAGAR

We bring you this audio message shared by human rights activist Sandeep Pandey who, along with a group of activists, journeyed from Jammu to Srinagar on a peace yatra. They started from Jammu on Nov 26th but were stopped by the police at Ramban in Kashmir, and asked to turn back. The group continued by road in the night, and reached Srinagar on 29th November. They are meeting local people, and will have reports to share with us in the days to come. In this audio message, Sandeep Pandey states that:

-- The group was told to return at various stages of the journey;

-- Journalists present at a small press conference they organized en route were not allowed to speak to them or even record them;

-- They visited a school where teachers were present but there were no students. The teachers told them that the families were too scared to send their children. When one of the activists took a photo of an empty classroom, the teachers insisted that the photo be deleted, for fear of repercussions.

-- Locals are gripped by fear and won't speak on the record, but all of them are unhappy about the situation and say that their livelihoods are suffering terribly.

-- Bazaars are open for a short time each day and people can do their necessary work, but people are unhappy and angry. The general view is that a gross injustice was perpetrated upon the people of Kashmir.

-- No one feels comfortable speaking directly about the abrogation of Article 370 because he or she could be arrested. People who are arrested will not be released unless they sign a bond that they will never talk openly about about situation in Kashmir.

-- Everything that the group is hearing from locals and seeing with their own eyes counters the government's position that there is no protest sentiment in Kashmir and that things are back to normal in Kashmir.