Authorities in Kashmir have arrested nearly 4,000 people since the scrapping of its special status last month, government data shows, the most clear evidence yet of the scale of one of the region’s biggest crackdowns.
Kashmir has been in turmoil since the government stripped it of its autonomy and statehood on August 5, leading to clashes between security forces and residents.
The government said the removal of the status would help integrate the state into the Indian economy, to the benefit of all.
In an attempt to stifle the protests that the reform sparked in Kashmir, the government cut internet and mobile services and imposed curfew-like restrictions in many areas.
It has also arrested more than 3,800 people, according to a government report dated September 6, though about 2,600 have since been released.
A spokeswoman for the interior ministry did not respond to a request for comment. Neither did Jammu and Kashmir police.
It was not clear on what basis most of the people were being held but an official said some were held under the Public Safety Act, a law in Jammu and Kashmir that allows for detention for up to two years without charge.
The data for the first time shows the extent of the detentions, as well as indicating who was picked up and where.
More than 200 politicians, including two former chief ministers of the state were arrested, along with more than 100 leaders and activists from an umbrella organisation of pro-separatist political groups.
The bulk of those arrested — more than 3,000 — were listed as “stone pelters and other miscreants”. On Sunday, 85 detainees were shifted to a prison in Agra, a police source said.
Rights group Amnesty International said the crackdown was “distinct and unprecedented” in the recent history of the region and the detentions had contributed to “widespread fear and alienation”.
“The communication blackout, security clampdown and detention of the political leaders in the region has made it worse,” said Aakar Patel, head of Amnesty International India.
The government says the detentions are necessary to maintain order and prevent violence, and points to the relatively limited number of casualties compared with previous bouts of unrest.
The government says only one person is confirmed to have died compared with dozens in 2016, when the killing of a militant leader sparked widespread violence.
“The right to life is the most important human right,” national security adviser Ajit Doval told reporters recently.
The report contains data from the 13 police districts that make up the Kashmir Valley. The largest number of arrests have been in Srinagar, the data shows, at nearly 1,000.
Earlier unrest often centred in rural areas. Of the detained political leaders, more than 80 were from the People’s Democratic Party.
Kathua police personnel stand next to three men with their faces covered and with weapons and ammunition recovered after their arrest in Kathua. The men were arrested yesterday transporting arms to Kashmir.
