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India had parliamentary elections this spring, and voters in Kashmir elected an unusual candidate - a man who ran his campaign from prison. He is a strong advocate for that region's self-determination. NPR's Omkar Khandekar says that the result may tell us something about next week's elections for local offices. He has this report from the Himalayan Valley.
UNIDENTIFIED CROWD #1: (Chanting in non-English language).
OMKAR KHANDEKAR, BYLINE: Thousands crowd in a field beside a mosque in Kupwara. It's a sprawling town that nearly licks the line that divides Indian-administered Kashmir from the Pakistani-held parts of the territory. Both countries claim Kashmir. They have gone to war over it three times. But the people crowded in this field have come to hear about a man who has long demanded that Kashmiris themselves decide their fate. Saban (ph) stands on top of a car, holding a mic.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
SABAN: (Speaking Urdu).
KHANDEKAR: "I'm a rebel," he says. "Torture me, persecute me. I'm not afraid of death." The audience chimes in.
UNIDENTIFIED CROWD #2: (Speaking Urdu).
KHANDEKAR: "We are rebels too." This is a scene from the campaign of Sheikh Abdul Rashid. He ran for a parliamentary seat in India's general elections, which were held this past spring. His campaign resonated. Rashid won with a decisive margin of more than 200,000 votes.
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KHANDEKAR: That night, thousands gathered in his village to celebrate. But Rashid wasn't there. He was in jail. He had been there for five years, charged with funding terrorism. So his son, Abrar, was campaigning for him. Like many Kashmiris, he refers to his father as Engineer Rashid because of his past life as an engineer with the local government.
ABRAR RASHID: It was a statement to the government that it is a rejection of all your oppression.
KHANDEKAR: He says this vote is largely a message to the Indian government that it is a rejection of all its oppression. By oppression, he is referring to a long history of violence that began in Kashmir in the late '80s, largely to protest India's rule. This includes everything from stone throwing to gun fights to militant attacks, some of it backed by Pakistan. More than 40,000 people have been killed, nearly half civilians. Thousands have disappeared. Then there's the most recent contention - the ruling government's revocation of Kashmir's semiautonomous status.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
AMIT SHAH: (Non-English language spoken).
KHANDEKAR: This is the home minister, Amit Shah, introducing the bill in Parliament in 2019. After that, Kashmir became a territory directly governed by New Delhi. For many Kashmiris, that tore apart a delicate consensus that reflected a territory contested by India and Pakistan, a territory that they hope will one day become independent. Anuradha Bhasin is the managing editor of the newspaper Kashmir Times. She says Kashmir's special status angered Hindu nationalists.
ANURADHA BHASIN: They cannot ideologically swallow the fact that Kashmir is the only Muslim majority in the country, and it enjoyed a special status.
KHANDEKAR: So perhaps to preempt more violence, as soon as the bill was passed, Kashmir was put under a monthslong curfew. There was a communications blackout. Outsiders were barred from entry. Most publications were heavily censored. Government critics were detained, including journalists and politicians. And Sheikh Abdul Rashid was charged with terror financing. Bhasin again.
BHASIN: And because of that, Engineer Rashid became a kind of a symbol of the oppression that Kashmiris face on a day-to-day basis.
KHANDEKAR: That was echoed in the chants of the crowds who rallied for Rashid during the election campaign.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED CROWD #2: (Chanting in Urdu).
KHANDEKAR: They chant, "we'll avenge jail with our vote." But a spokesperson for India's ruling BJP Party, Ghulam Mohammed Mir, says something has changed for Kashmiris.
GHULAM MOHAMMED MIR: The mindset of the people here, in Kashmir Valley especially - it has changed. They believe in democracy.
KHANDEKAR: He says the turnout for the federal elections was the biggest since violence erupted in Kashmir three decades ago. Kashmiri residents appreciate the newfound security, he says. There's no more strikes. Violence has gone down. But Kashmiri lawyer, Ulfat Mir, says there's also more repression. So the only way for Kashmiris to express their opposition is by voting.
ULFAT MIR: People wanted to send a clear message to the government that we don't accept you.
KHANDEKAR: Now in coming days, Kashmiris will vote for the territory's legislative assembly. But it's unclear how much power it will have. An Indian court recently bailed out Rashid to allow him to campaign. He was given a hero's welcome.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED CROWD #3: (Chanting in Urdu).
KHANDEKAR: They say, "we want an Engineer Rashid in every house, even if it's largely just another protest vote." Kashmiris say it's the only way they can send a message.
For NPR News, I'm Omkar Khandekar, in Srinagar, Kashmir. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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