Former chief ministers of Indian-occupied Kashmir (IoK) Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti were placed under house arrest as the Indian government also imposed curfew-like restrictions under Section 144 in occupied Srinagar, Aaj News reported early Monday. Authorities in Indian occupied Kashmir placed large parts of the disputed region under lockdown amid a massive troop build-up by India.
The recent tensions started in the last 10 days after New Delhi deployed at least 10,000 troops, but a security source told AFP a further 70,000 had been dispatched in what is believed to be an unprecedented level. "As per the order there shall be no movement of public and all educational institutions shall also remain closed," the state government ordered, in a statement obtained by AFP.
Omar Abdullah took to Twitter to say that he was being placed under house arrest and that a similar process had already started for other leaders. "I believe I'm being placed under house arrest from midnight tonight and the process has already started for other mainstream leaders. No way of knowing if this is true but if it is then I'll see all of you on the other side of whatever is in store. Allah save us," he wrote on Twitter.
"Please don't take the law in to your own hands, please stay calm," he appealed in another tweet. A few moments before his tweet, Mehbooba Mufti, president of the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party, expressed concerns that there would soon be an internet blackout and the imposition of a curfew. "Hearing reports about internet being snapped soon including cellular coverage. Curfew passes being issued too. God knows what awaits us tomorrow. It's going to be a long night," she said.