In Indian Illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, five-year President's Rule imposed by Bharatiya Janata Party regime on October 31, 2019, has been marked by widespread human rights violations.

According to a report by Kashmir Media Service, nine hundred and thirty-three Kashmiris, including seventeen women and thirty-one young boys, lost their lives during this period.

The report said of these two hundred and forty were martyred in fake encounters with many youths arrested from their homes, labeled as militants or over-ground workers, and eliminated in Indian police custody.

The report said most were booked under black laws like the Public Safety Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Kashmir Media Service said the President's Rule period also saw killings, mass arrests, attachment of properties and termination of government employees, with thousands of Kashmiris, including APHC Chairman Masarrat Aalam Butt and top Hurriyat leaders Shabbir Ahmad Shah, Muhammad Yasin Malik and Syeda Aasiya Andrabi arrested and lodged in various Indian jails. 

The President's Rule was lifted yesterday but its legacy of human rights abuses and repression continues unabated.

On the other hand, two minors were found dead in Srinagar, and a mysterious fire damaged properties in Gurez, Bandipora, with reports suggesting Indian army involvement to intimidate those who voted against the BJP candidate in the recent assembly election.

Meanwhile, Arundhati Roy, while accepting the prestigious PEN Pinter Prize at a ceremony held at the British Library in London, used the platform to highlight the struggles of Kashmiris and Palestinians for their right to self-determination.

Roy expressed solidarity with imprisoned journalists, activists and intellectuals, including Kashmiri human rights defender Khurram Parvaiz.