Former Home Secretary G.K. Pillai-led group denied ‘police permission’ to release J&K report in Srinagar

The Forum for Human Rights in Jammu and Kashmir, led by former Home Secretary G.K. Pillai, was denied police permission to release its annual report on the seventh anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 on August 4, 2026. Several J&K parties, including the National Conference (NC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), announced their protest programs on the occasion.

The Forum, which includes former Supreme Court judge Justice Madan B. Lokur and former Kashmir interlocutor Radha Kumar, was scheduled to release its report in Srinagar on August 7. However, the J&K police denied the use of the Sheri-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) for the report release, prompting the group to cancel the function.

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti criticized the administration's decision, stating that it reinforced the perception that J&K has been turned into an open-air prison where documenting the truth has been criminalized. The NC and PDP parties in Kashmir vowed to mark August 5 as a day of protest, demanding the restoration of autonomous status for the region and the reinstatement of Articles 370 and 35A.

The BJP also declared August 5 as a significant event, highlighting the transformation that followed the abrogation of special status. Security has been increased in J&K in response to the anniversary, with additional deployments in sensitive areas of the Kashmir valley.