Basic freedoms are at risk in Kashmir, portions of which have for years been occupied by both India and Pakistan.
Last week, the Indian parliament voted to revoke the special autonomous status of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, and to incorporate the part it controls into India.
Before making the announcement, India placed Kashmir on lockdown. Its leaders are under arrest. Phones are severed and the internet is shut down. Its main mosques remained closed during Eid.
Some journalists have described mass protests, and there are unconfirmed reports of ongoing arrests.
Unless India wants to inflame tensions in Kashmir for another generation, the Indian government needs to step back, and fast.
