Controversy over Kashmir

India's newly elected prime minister, Narendra Modi, was greeted on Friday, July 4, by empty streets in Srinagar, the main city of Indian-controlled Kashmir, as separatists enforced a strike to demand political dialogue about the future of the area. Schools, shops and other businesses were mostly closed in the city, while separatist leaders were reportedly put under house arrest and residents asked to stay indoors as part of a security crackdown ahead of the PM's arrival.

Modi inaugurated a railway line and planned to review security and development in the Himalayan region which both India and Pakistan claim in full, but administer separate partial areas. Kashmir is not only one of the most heavily militarized zones in the world, but also India's only Muslim-majority state and Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have long had a difficult relationship with Muslims.

Modi's visit also comes in the wake of a row over demands from within his party to revoke article 370 of the constitution, which grants the state a special status. In a DW interview, Sumit Ganguly, India expert and professor of Political Science at the Indiana University Bloomington, says revoking the article would not only inflame political sentiments and separatism in the region, but potentially changes the state's demography.

DW: Why was Modi's visit to Kashmir so controversial?

Sumit Ganguly: It was controversial because of Modi's prior record as the chief minister of the state of Gujarat. On his watch in February 2002 a pogrom took place in the state resulting in the deaths of over a thousand Muslims.

His role or lack thereof in the pogrom has been a subject of intense debate, even though a three judge panel of the Indian Supreme Court exonerated him on the grounds of "insufficient evidence."

What are the Kashmir separatist groups exactly fighting for and why do they reject Narendra Modi?

Given that Kashmir is India's only Muslim majority state it is hardly surprising that many of its Muslim residents view Modi with a degree of distrust. However, the separatist groups in Kashmir have diverse agendas: some would like merger with Pakistan while others wish to have an independent state.

Modi's visit came to the region came in the wake of a row over a demand for revoking Article 370 of the constitution that gives special status to the state. What is Article 370 about?

Article 370, among other matters, confers a special status on the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Among its many provisions is a clause that prohibits non Kashmiris from acquiring land in Kashmir for settlement. If India chooses to do away with this article it can then change the demography of the state by bringing in non-Muslim citizens from other parts of the country. The People's Republic of China has done this quite effectively in Tibet and some of the more extreme, right wing elements in Israel are pursuing a variant of the same strategy in the occupied territories.

Why was the article adopted?

It was adopted because of the unique circumstances of Kashmir's accession to India in 1947 at the time of independence and partition.

Why is the article so controversial especially among BJP politicians?

It is actually not controversial within the BJP. Their members would like to dispense with the article altogether. They believe that doing away with it will integrate the state into the Indian Union and simultaneously undercut any residual legal claim that Pakistan might have on the state. Given the significance that so many within his party attach to the termination of this article it is hardly surprising that he has proposed a debate on this subject.

Do you think a repeal of the article is likely under the Narendra Modi-led government?

It is hard to predict that at this stage; however, there is little question in my mind that this government, which enjoys a clear parliamentary majority, would like to do so.

What would be the implications of a potential repeal of the article?

I think that repealing the article would inflame political sentiments in Kashmir and fuel the separatist agenda further.

How can the recently elected BJP-led federal government ease tensions in Kashmir?

The government can take a host of steps toward reducing tensions. First, it could repeal the dreaded Armed Forces Special Powers Act which gives the military sweeping powers in the use of force and act with virtual impunity. Second, it could prod the state government to improve its record of administration and governance.

Third, New Delhi could start reducing the practice of everyday harassment of young Kashmiri men at the hands of security forces.

Fourth, it could start a process of the gradual reduction of security forces within Kashmir while maintaining strict vigilance along the Line of Control - the de facto international border - with Pakistan. None of these would constitute a panacea for the ills that afflict the state. However, they might go a very long way toward reducing existing tensions.

India expert Sumit Ganguly is professor of Political Science at the Indiana University Bloomington where he holds the Rabindranath Tagore Chair in Indian Cultures and Civilizations and directs the Center on American and Global Security.