Only stray protests in Kashmir, says MHA, dismisses rumours

The Union Home Ministry said on Saturday (August 10) that there had been a few stray protests in Kashmir Valley in the past few days against the scrapping of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, and none of these involved a crowd of more than 20 people.

“There have been a few stray protests in Srinagar/Baramulla and none of these involved a crowd of more than 20 people,” a ministry spokesperson said.

The spokesperson also dismissed a media report about a protest by about 10,000 people in Kashmir as ‘fabricated and incorrect’. A small group of Kashmiri people residing in Delhi also participated in a silent rally on Friday (August 9).

The government abrogated provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution that accorded special status to Jammu and Kashmir and divided the state into two Union Territories —Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

President Ram Nath Kovind had on Saturday given assent to the legislation on Jammu and Kashmir’s bifurcation and the new Union Territories will come into existence on October 31.