A UN spokesperson highlighted a telecommunications ban, the arbitrary detention of leaders and a ban on political assembly. The region has been on lockdown since Sunday with communication cut off. It came as India made the controversial decision to remove its special constitutional status.
Article 370 - as the constitutional provision guaranteeing special status is known - gave the state of Jammu and Kashmir special dispensation to make its own laws on everything apart from matters of foreign affairs, defence and communications.
This formed the basis of its complex relationship with India for some 70 years. The Himalayan region is claimed in its entirety by both India and Pakistan, but each country controls only part of it. By revoking it, Delhi has irrevocably changed its relationship with the region. The move came as a shock, and has been met with harsh criticism from some opposition lawmakers, constitutional experts and even ordinary citizens. But it has also been welcomed by many, including Supreme Court lawyers who have argued that it is not unconstitutional.
