The lockdown officially started on 5 August 2019, following the
revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir via the scrapping of
Article 370 and
Article 35A of the
Indian constitution and subsequent introduction of the
Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019. Foreign journalists were barred from reporting from the new
union territory of
Jammu and Kashmir. According to a 6 September 2019 report by the Indian government, nearly 4,000 people were arrested in the
disputed region. Among those arrested were more than 200 local
Kashmiri politicians, including two former
chief ministers of the
state of Jammu and Kashmir, along with more than 100 leaders and activists from the
All Parties Hurriyat Conference. On 1 October 2019, a three-judge bench consisting of justices
N. V. Ramana,
Ramayyagari Subhash Reddy and
Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai of the
Supreme Court of India, heard seven appeals challenging the lockdown and revocation of Article 370. On 3 October 2019, journalists in Kashmir staged a
sit-in protest against the enforced communications blackout, describing the total blockade of
internet services and
mobile phones as a "gag". On 4 October 2019, the Indian government denied
United States Senator Chris Van Hollen's request to travel to Jammu and Kashmir. Meanwhile,
Sandeep Pandey, an education reformer, and other activists who were on an informal fact-finding mission were also barred from leaving the
airport in
Srinagar. On 24 October 2019, village council elections were held across Jammu and Kashmir, despite a boycott by most political parties and the detention of many mainstream local politicians; political scientist Noor Ahmed Baba called it "more like an artificial exercise". In January 2020, a
2G internet connection was established in Jammu & Kashmir, albeit only for limited
whitelisted sites approved by the Indian government. Social Media was completely banned. Security personnel checked the mobile phones of the local Kashmiris to see if they were accessing social media with a
VPN. A new curfew was imposed a day ahead of the first anniversary of India's decision to revoke the disputed region's semi-autonomy, on 4 August 2020. Officials announced a two-day "full curfew" citing intelligence reports of looming protests in the
Muslim-majority region, where locals have called for the anniversary to be marked as a "black day". On 16 August 2020,
4G LTE mobile services were restored in two districts of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir on a trial basis, after the
Supreme Court of India ruled that an indefinite shutdown was effectively illegal. At least 75 Kashmiri leaders and activists were pre-emptively arrested in December 2020 to limit political unrest after a number of opposition political parties won
elections in Jammu and Kashmir. On 5 February 2021, Jammu and Kashmir's Principal Secretary of Power and Information, Rohit Kansal, announced that 4G internet services would be restored in the entire union territory. This was applauded by the union territory former Chief Ministers
Omar Abdullah and
Farooq Abdullah. In flak jackets and riot gear, armed police and paramilitary personnel patrolled the streets in
Srinagar on 4 September 2021 and ordered residents to stay indoors. Razor wire, steel barricades, and armored vehicles blocked some streets. == Motive ==