Deserted look in Occupied Kashmir on India's Independence Day
Indian police blocks the main road during the official celebration of India's Independence Day in Srinagar, Kashmir on August 15, 2020. Mobile internet services were snapped and restrictions were imposed for Independence Day celebrations across the occupied valley. PHOTO: AA
Authorities enforced a security lockdown and cut off internet access in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) on Saturday, fearing protests in the occupied region on India’s 74th Independence Day.
Mobile internet services were snapped and stringent security arrangements enforced in the early hours of the day to thwart any potential incident.
Official sources told Anadolu Agency that internet services were suspended as a "precautionary measure".
Streets in the region wore a deserted look on Saturday as people largely remained indoors amid heavy deployment of police and paramilitary troops.
The increased security presence came a day after two cops were killed and another injured in an attack.
‘Not acceptable to the people’
Mohammad Muneeb, a political science scholar in the region, told Anadolu Agency that the Indian administration’s steps over the past year were not acceptable to the people of Occupied Kashmir.
“The ‘development’ that they are touting is clear for all to see. Businesses are gasping for survival, the economy is down, schools are shut, people have lost their jobs, and worse of all, people are dying due to the incessant violence and the Covid-19 pandemic,” he added.