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STEPHANIE FINDLAY: The state of Jammu and Kashmir is on lockdown. Extra forces are in the streets and the phone signals are cut after India revoked the state's special status. New Delhi modified a constitutional provision giving the country's only Muslim majority state autonomy to make its own laws and protections, such as barring nonresidents from buying land. The changes not only take away special privileges, but demote the state to a union territory, giving New Delhi far more control over the contested region. Kashmiris fear that Mr Modi's BJP ultimately wants to change the demographic character of the region by allowing non-Kashmiris to buy land, paving the way towards Hindu dominance.
Jammu and Kashmir received special rights after India's independence in 1947, when the state was incorporated into Hindu-majority India rather than Muslim-majority Pakistan. But it remained a site of animosity. India and Pakistan have fought three bloody wars over the state since independence.
Many Muslims in Indian Kashmir have long resented what they see as heavy-handed New Delhi rule. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP believes that the state's autonomy has fueled terrorism in the region.
Islamabad's response is the biggest and potentially the most dangerous unknown. New Delhi alleges Pakistan uses terrorist proxies to wage war against India in the region.
It is unclear how long the lockdown will last or when communication links will be restored. But many are braced for violence if and when Kashmiris will finally have their say.
