India renames educational institutions after members of Indian occupying forces

On January 30th, the Hindu-nationalist administration of Jammu and Kashmir ordered renaming of 33 educational institutions, including schools and colleges, and roads after the names of members of Indian occupying forces and and other pro-India personalities of Jammu and Kashmir.

The same occupying forces have persistently violated the human rights of Kashmiris and committed war crimes against them. Nomenclature is used by the Indian state to inflict psychological trauma on Kashmiris.

In the past, India has similarly changed the names of Directorates in the Social Welfare Department. The decision will rename the Child Development Services, Integrated Child Protection Scheme; and State Resource Center for Women as Directorate Mission Poshan; Directorate Mission Vatsalya and Directorate Mission Shakti, respectively. The imposition of Hindi names on a populace that barely speaks or can read the language is part of India’s broader push to forcibly assimilate Kashmiri Muslims into the Hindu majoritarian statecraft.