The response of the people of the Jammu region to the abrupt changes made in Jammu and Kashmir, both related to revocation of the special constitutional status of the state and its reorganisation, is explored. Historically tracing the response of the region towards Article 370 and locating it in its relationship with Kashmir, the anxieties being felt in the region after the changes in August 2019 are discussed.
More than a year has passed since the introduction of abrupt changes in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). It was on 5 August 2019 that the Government of India (GoI) took the decision of abrogating the special constitutional status of the state and reorganising it. Article 370, therefore, was modified to such an extent that, though it continued to be a part of the Constitution of India, it lost its essence. Rather than being an exceptional provision limiting the application of the Constitution (and also the central legislations) to J&K, it now extends the Cons