Heightened Security in J&K As Parties Announce Black Day Protests on Article 370 Abrogation Anniversary

SRINAGAR: Security has been further tightened across Jammu and Kashmir ahead of the seventh anniversary of the Centre’s August 5, 2019 decisions that revoked the erstwhile state’s special constitutional status and bifurcated it into two Union Territories. With several political parties preparing to hold rallies and protests on Wednesday, additional security personnel have been deployed across sensitive areas, particularly in the Kashmir Valley.

Authorities in both Srinagar and Jammu are scheduled to hold late‑evening security review meetings to finalise strategies aimed at preventing or restricting political gatherings planned in opposition to the 2019 constitutional changes.

While the National Conference (NC) has kept its plans relatively guarded, the PDP, Congress, Awami Itehad Party (AIP) and other regional groups have already announced their programmes. These parties fear that their leaders may be placed under house detention or face other preventive measures to stop them from participating in the protests.

PDP president and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti has instructed party cadres to organise district‑level demonstrations across J&K, demanding the restoration of Articles 370 and 35A and the release of political detainees. Mufti emphasised that every functionary must actively join the protests to reaffirm the PDP’s stand on J&K’s constitutional status. The party has also urged the public to observe a 15‑minute “lights‑out” blackout as a symbolic act of mourning and resistance. The formal protest schedule was issued by General Secretary (Organization) G.N. Lone Hanjura after an organisational meeting.

NC vice president Omar Abdullah recently said the party would take “whatever steps are required” on August 5, emphasising that the NC has been consistently pressing its demands rather than waiting for symbolic dates. However, on Tuesday, NC Provincial President (Jammu) Rattan Lal Gupta declared that the party would observe August 5 as Black Day, calling it a reminder of what he described as the “unconstitutional and unilateral abrogation” of J&K’s constitutional guarantees.

Gupta said August 5, 2019 “remains one of the darkest days in the constitutional and democratic history of J&K,” arguing that the decisions were imposed without public consent and undermined democratic federalism. He asserted that the people continue to bear political, constitutional and emotional consequences of the move. He criticised the BJP for repeatedly claiming that the downgrading of the state was temporary, saying its reluctance to restore statehood “exposes the hollowness of its promises.”

The Congress party has planned to hold protests across J&K, reiterating its long‑standing demand for the restoration of statehood under the slogan “Meri Riyasat, Mera Haq” (my state, my right). The party leadership has framed the anniversary of the 2019 constitutional changes as a moment to reaffirm J&K’s democratic rights and to press the Centre to reverse what it describes as an unjust downgrading of the erstwhile state, the party sources said.

Adding to the political activity around the anniversary, rebel NC MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi has unveiled plans for a seminar at the Constitution Club of India in New Delhi. The event, titled “Listening to Jammu and Kashmir: Dialogue, Dignity and Democratic Futurity,” aims to create a platform for a serious and inclusive conversation on the region’s political future. Mehdi has extended invitations to sitting and former Members of Parliament, constitutional scholars, civil society representatives, and public intellectuals, emphasising the need for an “earnest and thoughtful dialogue” on democracy and the aspirations of the people of J&K.

Mehdi’s initiative seeks to broaden national engagement with the concerns of J&K, positioning the seminar as a space where diverse voices can reflect on the constitutional, political, and human dimensions of the decisions taken on August 5, 2019.

The Awami Itehad Party (AIP), led by MP Sheikh Abdul Rashid—popularly known as Engineer Rashid—has also announced that it will observe August 5 as Youm‑e‑Siyah (Black Day). AIP spokesperson Inam Un Nabi said the party has finalised programmes in both Srinagar and New Delhi to highlight what it calls the “unconstitutional deprivation” of J&K’s democratic rights.

He said Engineer Rashid, who continues to attend parliamentary proceedings under judicial custody from Tihar Jail and is barred from interacting with the media, will mark the day by wearing black attire inside Parliament as a peaceful democratic protest. “By wearing black clothes, Er Rashid intends to draw the attention of fellow parliamentarians and the nation towards the constitutional injustice committed on August 5, 2019,” Inam Un Nabi said. He added that Rashid will also observe a day‑long hunger strike in solidarity with the people of J&K.

AIP will hold a major convention and seminar in Srinagar to discuss the constitutional, political and democratic implications of the 2019 decisions. Invitations have been extended to political leaders, civil society members, intellectuals, writers, trade bodies, transport associations and other stakeholders for a collective dialogue on J&K’s future and the restoration of its democratic rights. A parallel programme will be held in New Delhi to reiterate the demand for restoring statehood and constitutional guarantees through peaceful and democratic means.

Reaffirming AIP’s commitment to non‑violent democratic struggle, Inam Un Nabi said August 5 marks a turning point in J&K’s constitutional history, and the party will continue advocating for the restoration of rights through constitutional and peaceful methods.