VALLEY OF SUFFERING: THE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL TRAUMA OF KASHMIR

Abstract

Since the 1947 partition of British India, Kashmir has faced a prolonged and deeply entrenched conflict marked by pervasive militarization  and the imposition of exceptional laws such as the Armed Forces Special Powers Act . This context has resulted in widespread  human rights violations with long-term consequences for the civilian population.The objectives are to combine the existing body of evidence on human rights violations in Kashmir and explore their physical, psychological, and social repercussions.The review was conducted of literature using  Google Scholar, Pubmed, and psycInfo, and also grey literature from prominent human rights organizations ,58 records met the inclusion criteria.The reviewed literature unravel a persistent pattern of grave human rights breaches, including mass killings, enforced disappearances, custodial deaths, and severe torture. The use of pellet guns has resulted in devastating physical injuries, especially blindness. Psychologically, the conflict is linked with a high prevalence of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), among children, as well as increased levels of suicidal ideation. Socially, militarization and restrictive measures have substantially disrupted education, healthcare access, and routine life.The findings show that the Kashmir crisis has caused intense and multidimensional harm on its population, underscoring an urgent necessity for human rights accountability.