Amidst the spike in targeted killings in Kashmir Valley, a new book "Valley of Red Snow: Kashmir Beyond 370" written by Jitender Dixit was recently unveiled in Mumbai Press Club by veteran filmmaker and activist Ashoke Pandit and Press Club's chairman Gurbir Singh.
The book chronicles the state of the valley post abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of the state.
To investigate the complaints of atrocities being inflicted on Kashmiri journalists, the Press Council of India formed a three-member fact-finding committee. The author, Jitender Dixit, was a part of the committee.
Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, which granted Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) special status, was repealed on August 5, 2019. J&K was incorporated as a union territory. The Ladakh area was divided and established as an autonomous union territory.
These watershed moments in Kashmiri history were preceded by a succession of political and social developments during the seven decades after independence. What factors contributed to the repeal? What were the ramifications for the people of J&K? How did they respond to it? What will the future bring?
Valley of Red Snow tries to answer these issues by presenting an unbiased, non-judgmental, and thorough account of how Kashmir is developing in the aftermath of one of the most significant government decisions in independent India's history.
There is a chapter about Kashmiri Pandits that expresses their dreams, aspirations, expectations, and worries. The author spoke with a variety of Kashmiri Pandits, including those in Jammu refugee camps, those resettled in government colonies in the Kashmir valley, those who have migrated to other areas of India, and those who did not leave the Valley during the 1990s migration.
This is one of the first books to describe the changes in Kashmir since the August 2019 rulings, published by Rupa Publications India.
(Disclosure: The book's author, Jitendra Dixit, is the West India editor of ABP Network)