it's Friday on the streets of Kashmir's
largest city
it's the day Muslims normally gathered
to pray but in recent weeks it's also
become a day of protest Indian
authorities are working hard to keep a
lid on displays like this but they can't
change how people feel as protests break
out across Kashmir Indian officials
repeat what has become a well-worn
soundbite nori returning to normal and
situation is returning back slowly to
the normal but things here don't seem
normal
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Kashmir has been a conflict zone for
decades but when India moved to strip
the region of its autonomy on August 5th
the situation came to this thousands
more troops and a curfew bringing daily
life to a standstill
phone lines and internet access were
shut down
cutting off around 8 million Kashmiris
from the outside world so we came to see
what's actually happening we visit a
neighborhood known for frequent clashes
between protesters and Indian security
forces people here are in mourning
Mohammad assha gu was at home with her
children and her in-laws on August 9th
police started firing tear gas at
protesters outside
the hamidah's husband Rafiq helped rush
her to the hospital but doctors could
not revive her a sudden death and no one
to hold accountable will get just as my
kids will get justice I don't know in
addition to tear gas for years Indian
forces have used pellet guns to quell
unrest in Kashmir these shotguns fire
cartridges full of lead pellets that
lodged themselves in the flesh they are
supposedly non-lethal but can cause
life-changing disabilities
Parvez Sophie says he was at home when
he heard a commotion outside when he
opened the door to see what was
happening he became a target colleague
Jessie medical the heart of medical
vision better phobia or pellets for
America on the draggy in the name of
maintaining law and order Indian forces
of license to shoot with near impunity
in Kashmir angry yukimaru who you tell
us a thing there's no official number
for the injured but in just one hospital
here sources told us over 60 people had
been admitted with pellet wounds since
the lockdown began still this doesn't
stop some people or inshallah Liberty
doesn't show much for me to be near be
his scholars in the chicken shawarma and
lives here have been upended in other
ways too this woman's 22 year old son
Maharaja Dean was arrested she doesn't
know why he was taken since then
authorities have been giving her
conflicting information
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garbage women up on the mortgage on the
court I know this is not an isolated
case since early August thousands have
been arrested without being charged and
there's no indication when or if they'll
be released it's it's their media they
can say anything they are not showing us
what's happening around us
they called it normalcy nothing is
normal here my kids they asking me
although some landlines have been
reconnected Kashmir is still largely cut
off from the rest of the world that
helps authorities keep stories like
these quiet but as the days pass they're
getting louder