Four activists, including economist Jean Dreze, who visited Kashmir and interacted with people belonging to different sections of society in different areas from 9 to 13 August, have demanded “immediate restoration of Articles 370 and 35A” as the people they met described these as their “pehchan” (identity).

These activists told media persons here on Wednesday that the people in the valley considered the Central government’s action an attack on “Kashmir’s self-respect”.

Besides Dreze, Kavita Krishnan of the CPI (Marxist-Leninist) and the AIDWA, Maimoona Mollah of the All-India Democratic Women’s Association and Vimal Bhai of the National Alliance of People’s Movements we part of the delegation.

Narrating her impressions of the Kashmiris she met, Kavita Krishnan claimed that their group was perhaps the first visitors to areas besides Srinagar like Baramula and Anantnag and they noticed anger against the Centre all around. The people they interacted with considered the decision of the Central government as “an act of humiliation” for them, she pointed out.

These people, whose hospitality was very impressive, were upset with media people, especially TV channels because they reported that everything was normal in Kashmir, she said. Their reports were found to be “misleading” and “selective”, depicting the situation in a small enclave in the centre of Srinagar.

“Nothing was found to be open except hospitals, chemist shops, ATMs and police stations,” she said.

Describing the contradictions between what they saw in Kashmir and what the media had been reporting, Dreze mentioned an editorial in a national daily saying that Kashmir was “200 years behind the rest of India”. He asserted, “Nothing can be further from the truth.”

Maimoona Mollah said the Kashmiris they met said they were feeling “bebas” (helpless) and “humiliated”. These people asserted that “hum chup nahin baithenge” (we will not remain quiet), Mollah added. Vimal Bhai said wherever they went and met people they had something painful to hear. The situation he could see was different from what he had been given through Whatsapp messages.