By Our Correspondent 

SRINAGAR - Kashmiris in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) on Monday marked January 26 as “Black Day”, rejecting India’s Republic Day celebrations and staging protests against what they describe as decades of injustice and denied self-determination.

Across the valley, markets, shops, and businesses remained closed in response to strike calls. Indian security forces, including the army and police, were deployed in large numbers to prevent demonstrations.

Despite the heavy security presence, Kashmiri youth staged protest rallies in several areas, chanting slogans in favor of freedom and expressing support for Pakistan, witnesses said.

There were no public celebrations in the valley. Indian authorities organized an official Republic Day parade at MA Stadium, where Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha attended the ceremony. The event took place without public participation, underscoring the tense atmosphere and public boycott of the day.

India celebrates Republic Day to mark the adoption of its constitution by the Constituent Assembly on 26 November 1949, which came into effect on 26 January 1950. In Kashmir, however, the date is widely observed as a symbol of protest.

Speaking to The South Asia Times on condition of anonymity, a Kashmiri resident said people fear reprisals for speaking to the media. “We want freedom, and this is a Black Day for us. Even after 78 years, we have not received justice or freedom. The UN Security Council passed resolutions on Kashmir, but they have not been implemented,” he said.

Kashmiri leader Mushaal Hussein Mullick echoed these sentiments in a post on X, saying that while India celebrates Republic Day, Kashmiris mark it as a Black Day.

She described Kashmir as a “dangerous nuclear flashpoint” and argued that peace in South Asia is not possible without justice for Kashmir. Mullick also welcomed recent international peace efforts and urged global stakeholders to place Kashmir on their agenda, calling as a goodwill gesture for the release of her husband, Yasin Malik, whom she described as a symbol of a broader humanitarian and political issue.

Outside the disputed region, solidarity protests were also held in Islamabad and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, where demonstrators chanted slogans demanding freedom for Kashmir and an end to what they termed Indian illegal occupation.

In Islamabad, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference organized a protest demonstration, formally observing the day as Black Day.

As India marked its Republic Day with official ceremonies, Kashmir remained subdued, with residents observing the day in silence and protest.