Public meetings have been banned and reports say mobile networks and the internet have been restricted. Last week authorities also ordered tourists and Hindu pilgrims to leave, citing a "terror threat" against an annual pilgrimage to a major shrine. It is unclear what is behind the latest moves, which have stoked tensions. No explanation for the government's actions has been given as yet but it comes amid speculation that Delhi might be poised to revoke some of Kashmir's special privileges - specifically Article 35A, a constitutional provision, which among other things, prevents people from outside the state buying land there.
A cabinet meeting to discuss the situation has ended and home minister Amit Shah will address parliament. Kashmir has been under governor's rule since June 2018 when the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) pulled out of a state government coalition with the regional People's Democratic Party (PDP). It was in the early hours of Monday that two former chief ministers of Indian-administered Kashmir, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, were placed under house arrest. The two leaders tweeted late on Sunday night about their impending house arrests and the situation there.
