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Video Editor: Prashant Chauhan, Deepthi Ramdas
Illustrations: Erum Gour
Nine-year-old Liaqat Zeeshan* (name changed) recalls the day when Article 370 was revoked. It was the day that his school was shut and the day when he had a ‘speaking’ competition, for which he had put in a lot of work, that he couldn’t participate in. “I felt so bad. I had been preparing for it for weeks but for nothing,” he bemoaned.
On 5 August, the Central government revoked Article 370, stripping Jammu & Kashmir of its special status. For precaution, telecom and Internet services were suspended and educational institutions were closed.
“I miss my school. I miss my friends. I miss my teachers. We haven’t been able to speak to our relatives,” said Samira*, a student of class 6.
With protests being held on a daily basis, incidents of stone-pelting and cases of minors getting picked up and detained being reported, parents have had to quarantine their children at home. Stuck at home with nothing to do and unable to meet their friends, the children have grown sad.
On 28 October, three boys were taken into police custody on the suspicion of pelting stones in Soura, Srinagar.
Eleven-year-old Amir* who was detained along with Arif said he misses his mother. When he asked authorities to let him meet his parents, they refused.
Samira said her future seems bleak. She wants to be an engineer but doesn’t know if the situation will permit her to follow her dream. She’s aware of the reality – of curfews and protests – which makes attending school a perilous affair. “With the situation in Kashmir, fulfilling my dream seems difficult,” she said.
Kashmiri children dream of becoming doctors and engineers. More than that, they dream of leading a normal life.
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