"The Situation Was Very Bad": Feminist Activist Kavita Krishnan on What She Saw in Kashmir

In Kashmir, residents have entered their fourth week of a severe lockdown after India revoked the special status of the Indian-controlled part of the Muslim-majority territory. On August 5, India imposed a curfew and cut off all communications to the region. More than 4,000 people, including many political leaders, have been detained, while local residents report facing increasing shortages of food and medicine. Over the weekend, India blocked a delegation of Indian opposition politicians from visiting Kashmir, including Rahul Gandhi, the former president of the Indian National Congress. India's actions have led to a spike in tensions with its nuclear-armed rival Pakistan, which also claims control of Kashmir. We recently spoke with Kavita Krishnan in New Delhi, India, who has just returned from a fact-finding mission to Kashmir. She serves as the secretary of the All India Progressive Women's Association and is a member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation.