 For more videos on people's struggles, please subscribe to our YouTube channel. It has been one year since the far-right Indian government, led by the Bhartya Janata Party, revoked the special status of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Last year, on August 5, India's Home Minister Amit Shah moved resolutions in the Indian Parliament to repeal key portions of Article 370 and bifurcate the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories. This gave the BJP government greater control over the region. Article 370, which assured a special status and greater autonomy for Jammu and Kashmir, was the cornerstone of the states' accession to India in 1947. This move has been part of the BJP's agenda for decades. It is part of the Hindu right-wing's plans of bringing about demographic change in Muslim majority Kashmir. The last one year has been described by the people of Kashmir as one of utter distress and helplessness. While the rest of the country has been facing a lockdown only in the last few months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kashmir has been under a much stricter lockdown for a year now. A massive crackdown was initiated in the valley prior to August 5 last year as the Indian government anticipated mass resistance to its plans in the valley. Finally, when the August 5 lockdown began to be relaxed earlier this year, the pandemic led to a new lockdown being imposed. This prolonged period of restrictions has led to massive losses of livelihood in the valley. According to a report recently published by the Forum of Human Rights in Jammu and Kashmir, the economy of the state lost $5.3 billion from August 2019 to July this year. At least 456,000 people have lost their jobs and farmers have been pushed out of 6,000 acres of fertile land that has now been earmarked for the industry. The people are unable to access healthcare due to the many roadblocks, barricades and security checks. Meanwhile, the restriction of internet services to 2G has created its own set of issues. It has adversely affected businesses. It has meant that people cannot hold video consultations with doctors online. It has also resulted in students not being able to continue with the education easily as online classes get interrupted and they are often unable to access material. My point is now, you see, as we are living in this world, and you are still not. The Narendra Modi government's promises of improved security for the region have also not proven to be true. The BJP government has adopted a hardline security-based approach while neglecting people's needs. The armed forces enjoy complete freedom to destroy homes and buildings where the suspect militants might be hiding. These kinds of operations have continued unabated even during the pandemic and compensation is not easily given. Citizens are left homeless at a time when government advisories everywhere are asking people to stay home. There is nobody that can communicate these needs and concerns of the Kashmiri people to the power holders in New Delhi as Kashmir's political leaders were detained last year in August. Most of those who have been released are choosing now to remain silent. The local media has been completely muzzled. The new media policy of Kashmir has given the state unchecked power to monitor what is being written and said. Any media outlet that questions the Indian state will be denied government advertisements, the primary source of sustenance for Kashmiri media. Today, one year later, the Hindu right wing in India is marking its Kashmir victory by commencing another project which is central to its agenda. This morning, Prime Minister Modi laid the foundation bricks of the Ram temple in Ayodhya at the site of the Babri Mosque which was demolished in 1992. Even as the people of Kashmir feel increasingly alienated and isolated from the rest of India, the right wing is busy cementing its victories and strengthening its agenda of building a Hindu country.