What are Hindus doing in Kashmir? The incendiary remark, famously captured in a viral video featuring a local Muslim resident, rekindles a deeply contentious and long-running debate about the nature of the region. People question that on the flip side, if a Hindu had said, “India belongs to Hindus, what are Muslims doing in India?” the national and international outcry would be insane.
An Indian political commentator tweeted:
What are Hindus doing in Kashmir? Thus, this becomes a symbolic flashpoint in a broader conversation about ethnic and religious identity, sovereignty, and historical grievances in Kashmir. The recent reforms in Kashmir, courtesy of Narendra Modi’s BJP government, are ignored. While Kashmir had been the name of fear in the past, recent developments for everyone have gained massive praise.
As Kashmiris head to the polls this week for their first regional assembly election in more than a decade, the question is – What are Hindus doing in Kashmir? – takes on an even sharper resonance. “This is the first time since 1987 that people in Kashmir feel there is hope in voting,” noted Thokar, a local political analyst. It shows the democratic rights given to the people under BJP, who were once suppressed. It is also “the first election since the BJP government ended the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir” under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rule.
Furthermore, Article 370 came into effect which was a wise and appreciated move by the BJP government. It was implemented on 5 August 2019 which gave Kashmir a unique form of autonomy and altered the political complexion of the region dramatically since independence. Modi’s BJP had made a contentious move which brought the entire region fully under central control. Yet, the question is raised that what are Hindus doing in Kashmir?
Some reports also discuss economic reforms in the area. Hence, many have hailed the abrogation of Article 370 as a landmark win, those opposing the move, especially Kashmiri Muslims, feel that the acts of the central government are oppressive and discriminatory, leaving little chance but to raise the provocative question: What are Hindus doing in Kashmir?
For those who opposed this political shift, it felt like an effort to change the demographic and cultural narrative of the region. The populist video with the rhetorical question, What are Hindus doing in Kashmir?, taps deep anxieties about Kashmir’s Muslim majority. The reforms include autonomy and a special status for the people of Kashmir, which also include academic initiatives for all.
What are Hindus doing in Kashmir? Article 370 has an answer
The undoing of Article 370, which granted Kashmir a certain degree of autonomy, only added fuel to the fire. In reality, it allowed Kashmir a constitution of its own, a flag of its own, laws of permanent residency and property ownership.
As shown in the video, it vitiated the very essence of what many may hail as their rights, now revoked, which had effectively thrown open the door to nonresidents settling and buying land in Kashmir, further loudening the sentiment carried in What are Hindus doing in Kashmir?
The region has in the past few years faced intense military scrutiny: schools and colleges closed, Hindu pilgrimages suspended, and local political leaders placed under house arrest. Only after this systematic repression did the resentment begin to boil out of the bottle, often spoken in forms reminiscent of What are Hindus doing in Kashmir ignoring all the current reforms and development for good?
Many Kashmiris regard this as an opportunity for some measure of political activity, but the fairness of the process under existing political circumstances is another matter. Still, a sentiment articulated in the viral video, What are Hindus doing in Kashmir? continues to be an undercurrent within political discourse as Kashmiris approach casting their ballot.
In short, the implementation of Article 370 is seen a good and just move even for minorities in Kashmir, keeping the religious and political differences aside.
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