When the total lockdown of Kashmir first began in August 2019, there were several weeks of featured reports in major media about protests in the Soura district in Srinagar & how residents were barricading the area to make it a no-go zone for Indian troops. The protesters became a symbol of fearless resistance to the lockdown at a time when there was so little other news. When all news stopped, sometime in September, up until today, we have heard no more reports from Soura.
Kashmiri journalist Haseeb Ibn Hameed tweeted today that he took this photo in the Anchar area of Soura on September 13th, 2019 & submitted it to his newspaper. He gave no other context for the photo. His editor & other dailies he asked refused to publish it fearing sanctions by the Indian government. He published it for the first time today on Twitter saying: “Anchar would be remembered for their bravery & unity.”
Can any Kashmiris tell us what happened to those remarkable protesters of Soura? Have there been arrests or violence against them? Did the Indian Army manage to force their way past the barricades?
(Photo by Haseeb Ibn Hameed @Haseeebdar)