Exactly one year back, the Government on August 5, 2019 revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, bifurcating the state into two union territories, one being Jammu and Kashmir, the other being Ladakh.

A night before the Article 370 was repealed, the authorities imposed a complete communication blackout in the state with the internet connection being cut, phone lines and land lines blocked. Additional troops were sent to the state, Section 144 was imposed and several political leaders, including former J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, Omar Abdullah, Sajad Lone, were put into house arrest in the state ahead of abrogation.

The security deployment at several installations were stepped up amid concerns of terror threat from Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC), and barricades were erected on roads, including the entry exit points of the capital city of Srinagar.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday, August 5 last year introduced a resolution in parliament which abrogated Article 370, revoking the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcating it into two union territories.

The resolution by Shah read, “…the President, on the recommendation of Parliament, is pleased to declare that, as from 5th of August, 2019, all clauses of the said article 370 shall cease to be operative except clause (1) thereof.” 

“We are rectifying a historic blunder,” Shah said in the parliament while introducing the resolution. The Union Home Minister said that the Article 370 for 72 years has stopped the state of Jammu and Kashmir from being a part of India.

The resolution was passed in the Parliament with an overwhelming majority and gained support of Aam Aadmi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, AIADMK and others. However, the resolution also invited protests from several parties, including the Congress and Trinamool.

When the house assembled on August 5 last year, Rajya Sabha chairman and Vice-President of India Venkaiah Naidu said he had used his discretionary powers to give an advance notice and circulate a bill, as per government’s requirement, seeing the issue of urgent national importance.

After Shah announced the abrogation, saying the official notification of abrogation of Article 370 has been signed by the President of India, a PDP leader tore his clothes, and another PDP leader tore copies of the Constitution in protest.