The stunningly beautiful land of Kashmir, nestled in the Himalayas, has seen much bloodshed and suffering. Over the decades the Indian state in attempts to stifle resistance to its rule in Kashmir has deployed hundreds of thousands of troops, imposed curfews, clampdowns and crackdowns. But nothing approaches the current situation. On August 5 the Hindu-nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi took unprecedented steps. Key provisions of the Indian Constitution dealing with Kashmir, articles 370 and 35A, have been revoked. The little autonomy Kashmir had is now evaporated. It is broken as a state and is under direct rule from New Delhi. No Kashmiri was consulted. It’s hard to imagine that the actions of the Modi government will quell the ongoing demands of Kashmiris for azaadi, freedom. Interviewed by David Barsamian.