Troops patrol Kashmir on anniversary of statehood revocation

Government forces are patrolling much of Indian-controlled Kashmir and ordered shops and businesses to remain open to foil a planned strike by separatists on the second anniversary of India’s revocation of the disputed region’s semi-autonomy

SRINAGAR, India -- Government forces patrolled much of Indian-controlled Kashmir and ordered shops and businesses to remain open Thursday to foil a planned strike by separatists on the second anniversary of India’s revocation of the disputed region’s semi-autonomy. Government forces placed steel barricades and razor wire across many roads, bridges and intersections and set up checkpoints in anticipation of anti-India protests. Some shops and businesses remained shut in Srinagar, the region’s main city, while police and soldiers checked vehicles and frisked pedestrians. In Srinagar's main business center, men escorted by police used iron rods and bricks to break locks on some shuttered shops. On Aug. 5, 2019, the Indian government led by Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its statehood, scrapped its separate constitution and revoked inherited protections of land and jobs, allowing more outsiders to settle in the Muslim-majority region.