Watch: Srinagar’s roads were empty and silent on the eve of the government’s decision on Article 370
On Sunday night, the Jammu and Kashmir government imposed Section 144 in Srinagar, effectively banning rallies and public gatherings.
The deserted roads of #Srinagar just a few minutes back. Communication blackout. Cellphones, internet, landline, and broadband - all jammed, only hope remains. #kashmir pic.twitter.com/BccC5fQIce
— Fahad Shah فهد شاه (@pzfahad) August 4, 2019
Ahead of the government’s proposal to scrap Article 370, which grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, a video of the state’s deserted roads surfaced on the internet on Sunday evening. Posted by Fahad Shah, editor-chief-of Kashmiri publication The Kashmir Walla, the video shows a car driving through a completely empty, dark road in Srinagar.
On Sunday night the government imposed restrictions under Section 144 in Srinagar district, effectively banning public meetings and rallies. While former Jammu and Kashmir chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti were put under house arrest, mobile, broadband internet and cable TV services were suspended in part of Srinagar.
Officials denied rumours that a curfew had been imposed, but said that section 144 would be in force in Srinagar starting midnight. With no confirmation at the time of what the Home Minister was planning to announce the next day, the state settled into an uneasy silence.