Kashmir clampdown means even funeral rites can’t be observed
- Mourners are unable to perform last rites or even be informed of a death due to Kashmir’s communications blackout and curfew
- India stripped the Muslim-majority region of its autonomy and imposed tight restrictions
In India’s curfew-hit Kashmir valley, even the freedom to mourn the dead has been shut down.
When his father suddenly died this week in Srinagar, Irfan Ahmad Bhat’s grief was compounded by a military lockdown that not only prevented family members gathering to pay their respects, but also meant many could not be told he had died.
For nearly a week now, Srinagar’s 1.5 million people have had no internet or phones and have been cooped up in their houses unless they have a curfew pass.
The lockdown and communications blackout is being enforced by tens of thousands of troops deployed by New Delhi’s Hindu-nationalist government to back its move on Monday to strip the Muslim-majority territory of its autonomy.
So tight are the restrictions that Bhat said he had only been able to inform four family members who live in Srinagar that his 58-year-old father had died.
The proper mourning period can only end when the whole family has been told. “I don’t know how long that will take,” he added tearfully.