The 2019–2021 Jammu and Kashmir lockdown was a

lockdown A lockdown () is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison protocol that us ...

and

communications blackout In telecommunications, communications blackouts are * a cessation of communications or communications capability, caused by a lack of power to a communications facility or to communications equipment. * a total lack of radio communications cap ...

imposed throughout Indian-administered

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory since 2019 * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered by India as a state from 1952 to 2019 * Jammu and Kashmir (prin ...

following the revocation of Article 370 in August 2019. The lockdown lasted until February 2021, with the goal of preemptively curbing unrest, violence and protests. Thousands of civilians, mostly young men, were detained in the crackdown. The Indian government said that the tough lockdown measures and substantially increased deployment of

security forces Security forces are statutory organizations with internal security mandates. In the legal context of several countries, the term has variously denoted police and military units working in concert, or the role of irregular military and paramilitar ...

had been aimed at curbing terrorism. The government did not want a repeat of the death and injuries seen during the 2016–2017 Kashmir unrest.Abhinav Pandya (October 2019)
J&K: Review of Developments Post the Abrogation of Article 370
''Vivekananda International Foundation''. Retrieved on 20 October 2021. The revocation and subsequent lockdown drew condemnation from several countries, especially

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

, which lodged protests with India. On 5 February 2021, Jammu and Kashmir's Principal Secretary of Power and Information announced that 4G internet services would be restored in the entire union territory. Subsequently, the ban of 4G and 3G services ended, with a brief restoration of the lockdown in September 2021.

Timeline

The lockdown officially started on 5 August 2019, following the

revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir On 5 August 2019, the government of India revoked the special status, or autonomy, granted under Article 370 of the Indian constitution to Jammu and Kashmir—a region administered by India as a state which consists of the larger part of Kashm ...

via the scrapping of

Article 370 Article 370 of the Indian constitution gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, a region located in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent and part of the larger region of Kashmir which has been the subject of a dispute between India, ...

and Article 35A of the

Indian constitution The Constitution of India is the supreme legal document of India, and the longest written national constitution in the world. The document lays down the framework that demarcates fundamental political code, structure, procedures, powers, and ...

and subsequent introduction of the

Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 is an act of the parliament of India containing provisions to split the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories: Ladakh and the residuary Jammu and Kashmir, and becoming effective ...

. Foreign journalists were barred from reporting from the new

union territory Among the states and union territories of India, a Union Territory (UT) is a region that is directly governed by the Government of India, central government of India, as opposed to the states, which have their own State governments of India, s ...

. According to a 6 September 2019 report by the Indian government, nearly 4,000 people were arrested in the

disputed region A territorial dispute or boundary dispute is a disagreement over the possession or control of territories (land, water or airspace) between two or more political entities. Context and definitions Territorial disputes are often related to the pos ...

. Among those arrested were more than 200 local

Kashmiri Kashmiri may refer to: * People or things related to the Kashmir Valley or the broader region of Kashmir * Kashmiris, an ethnic group native to the Kashmir Valley * Kashmiri language, the language of the Kashmiris ethnic group People with the nam ...

politicians, including two former chief ministers of the

state of Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir was a region formerly administered by India as a state from 1952 to 2019, constituting the southern and southeastern portion of the larger Kashmir region, which has been the subject of a dispute between India, Pakistan an ...

, along with more than 100 leaders and activists from the

All Parties Hurriyat Conference All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) is an alliance of several political, social and religious organizations formed on 9 March 1993, as a united political front to raise the cause of Kashmiri independence in the Kashmir conflict. Mehmood Ahm ...

. On 1 October 2019, a three-judge bench consisting of justices N. V. Ramana,

Ramayyagari Subhash Reddy Ramayyagari Subhash Reddy is a former judge of the Supreme Court of India. He has also served as chief justice of the Gujarat High Court and judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court. Career Ramayyagari Subhash Reddy was born on 5 January 1957. ...

and

Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai (born 24 November 1960), better known as B. R. Gavai, is an Indian jurist who is currently serving as the 52nd Chief Justice of India since 14 May 2025. He is a former judge of the Bombay High Court and he also current ...

of the

Supreme Court of India The Supreme Court of India is the supreme judiciary of India, judicial authority and the supreme court, highest court of the Republic of India. It is the final Appellate court, court of appeal for all civil and criminal cases in India. It also ...

, heard seven appeals challenging the lockdown and revocation of Article 370. On 3 October 2019, journalists in Kashmir staged a

sit-in protest A sit-in or sit-down is a form of direct action that involves one or more people occupying an area for a protest, often to promote political, social, or economic change. The protestors gather conspicuously in a space or building, refusing to mo ...

against the enforced communications blackout, describing the total blockade of

internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...

services and

mobile phone A mobile phone or cell phone is a portable telephone that allows users to make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while moving within a designated telephone service area, unlike fixed-location phones ( landline phones). This rad ...

s as a "gag". On 4 October 2019, the Indian government denied

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

Chris Van Hollen Christopher Van Hollen Jr. ( ; born January 10, 1959) is an American attorney and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Maryland, a seat he has held since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the U.S. re ...

's request to travel to Jammu and Kashmir. Meanwhile,

Sandeep Pandey Sandeep Pandey (born 22 July 1965) is an Indian social activist and the present General Secretary of the Socialist Party (India). He co-founded Asha for Education with Dr. Deepak Gupta (presently Professor at IIT Kanpur) and V.J.P Srivastav ...

, an education reformer, and other activists who were on an informal fact-finding mission were also barred from leaving the

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

Srinagar Srinagar (; ) is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary ...

. On the same day, protests were held by the local Kashmiri people, where they chanted pro-Pakistan slogans and demanded an end to what they described as the "Indian occupation of their

territory A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, belonging or connected to a particular country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually a geographic area which has not been granted the powers of self-government, ...

". 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 Virtual private network (VPN) is a network architecture for virtually extending a private network (i.e. any computer network which is not the public Internet) across one or multiple other networks which are either untrusted (as they are not c ...

. 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 Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

-majority region, where locals have called for the anniversary to be marked as a "black day". On 16 August 2020,

4G LTE In telecommunications, long-term evolution (LTE) is a standard for wireless broadband communication for cellular mobile devices and data terminals. It is considered to be a "transitional" 4G technology, and is therefore also referred to as 3 ...

mobile services were restored in two districts of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir on a trial basis, after the

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 Elections in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir are conducted in accordance with the Constitution of India to elect the representatives of various bodies at national, state and district levels including the 114 seat (90 seats + 24 seats re ...

. 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 Omar Abdullah (born 10 March 1970) is an Indian politician who is currently serving as the chief minister of union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. He had previously served as the chief minister of the state of Jammu and Kashmir between 2009 and ...

and

Farooq Abdullah Farooq Abdullah (born 21 October 1937) is an Indian politician who serves as current president of the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference. He has served as the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir on several occasions since 1982 till 2002, and ...

. The move was lauded by

Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party Jammu () is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary source ...

president

Altaf Bukhari Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari is an Kashmiri politician hailing from Kashmir. He is the president of the Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party, a political organization, which he launched in 2020. He served as the member of Jammu and Kashmir Legislative A ...

and Srinagar Mayor

Junaid Azim Mattu Junaid Azim Mattu is an Indian politician from Jammu and Kashmir. He was Mayor of Srinagar till November 2023. Life Junaid Azim Mattu was born in Srinagar in a politically active family. His grandfather Ghulam Ahmad Ashai was a founding m ...

. On September 2, security forces imposed a new lockdown and restriction on communications until 4 September 2021, following the death of

Syed Ali Shah Geelani Syed Ali Shah Geelani (29 September 1929 – 1 September 2021) was an Islamist Kashmiri-separatist leader in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. A pro-Pakistan separatist, Sumantra BoseSyed Ali Shah Geelani: The man who fought for Kashmir ...

, a top Kashmiri separatist leader. In flak jackets and riot gear, armed police and paramilitary personnel patrolled the streets in

on 4 September 2021 and ordered residents to stay indoors. Razor wire, steel barricades, and armored vehicles blocked some streets. The situation in Srinagar and Budgam returned to normal by 7 September.

Motive

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

reported that in 2020,

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

’s Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior team discovered a extensive social media influence campaign operated by the

Chinar Corps The XV Corps, also known as the Chinar Corps, is a Corps of the Indian Army which is presently located in Srinagar and responsible for military operations in the Kashmir Valley. It has participated in all military conflicts with Pakistan and Chi ...

that used a network of hundreds of fake accounts to praise the

Indian army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

's crackdown in the Kashmir region and accuse Kashmiri journalists of separatism and sedition. The

Stanford Internet Observatory The Stanford Internet Observatory (SIO) was a multidisciplinary program for the study of abuse in information technologies, with a focus on social media, established in 2019. It is part of the Stanford Cyber Policy Center, a joint initiative of t ...

research team also pointed to circumstantial evidence of a link between the accounts and the Indian army unit.

Re-introduction of tourism and economic recovery

Tourism

In October 2019, the Indian government planned to re-introduce tourism in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and lift security restrictions for all foreigners visiting the region, although they would still be prevented from using mobile internet or cellphones. 2G mobile services were restored in January 2020, while 4G services in Ganderbal and Udhampur were restarted in August 2020. 4G mobile Internet services were fully restored across Jammu and Kashmir in February 2021. In the wake of Syed Ali Shah Geelani's death, a new preemptive blackout was done in early September 2021, which ended completely on 7 September 2021. Figures show 19,000 tourists visited the Union Territory in January 2021, compared to only 3,750 tourists that visited Srinagar in January 2020. In August 2021,

Srinagar Airport Srinagar International Airport , officially named as Sheikh Ul Alam International Airport, is an international airport serving Srinagar, the summer capital of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is owned by the Indian Air Force ...

reported over 8000 passengers in one day. Kuldeep Singh (Director of Srinagar Airport) revealed that out of 72 major airports in India, Srinagar International Airport had become the first to surpass pre Covid passenger arrivals in August 2021. The director stated, "On Friday alone at Srinagar airport, 8515 passengers traveled on 74 flights to and fro and within this month, we are expecting it will cross above 10000." In July 2021, a total of around 10.5 lakh (1.05 million) tourists visited Jammu and Kashmir, and rose to 11.22 lakh (1.122 million) tourists in August 2021.

Economic recovery

In 2021, the government of Jammu and Kashmir launched an industrial policy. By mid August Rs 23,000 crore (230 billion INR) worth of investment proposals were cleared by the J&K Government, of which 12,000 crore was in

Jammu Division The Jammu division (; ) is a Divisions of India, revenue and administrative division of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to t ...

and 11,000 crore in

Kashmir Division The Kashmir division is a revenue and administrative division of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir ...

. Investment proposals rose to Rs 25,000 crore (250 billion INR) by early September, with investments in

rising to 12,800 crore and

to 12,200 crore.

Reactions

Human rights groups

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

— The

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

for human rights started an online petition titled ''Let Kashmir Speak'', which demanded a lifting of "the blackout of communications in Jammu and Kashmir" while "letting the voices of the people of Kashmir be heard" and allowing "unconditional and unconstrained access to news and information from the

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...

". *

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...

- The global rights group asked India to "release all those detained without charge and restore communications". It also called India to reverse its “abusive policies” in J&K and said it was appalled India continued with “its repression of Kashmiri Muslims”.

International

* – Pakistan reacted with extreme alarm to the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status and subsequent lockdown, in what it viewed as the

unilateral __NOTOC__ Unilateralism is any doctrine or agenda that supports one-sided action. Such action may be in disregard for other parties, or as an expression of a commitment toward a direction which other parties may find disagreeable. As a word, ''un ...

annexation Annexation, in international law, is the forcible acquisition and assertion of legal title over one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. In current international law, it is generally held t ...

of an internationally

disputed Controversy (, ) is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of conflicting opinion or point of view. The word was coined from the Latin ''controversia'', as a composite of ''controversus'' – "turned in an oppo ...

region. Pakistani officials said that the country would "downgrade" diplomatic ties with India, dismiss the Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan, and halt

bilateral trade Bilateral trade or clearing trade is trade exclusively between two states, particularly, barter trade based on bilateral deals between governments, and without using hard currency for payment. Bilateral trade agreements often aim to keep trade d ...

with

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

. The

Indian government The Government of India (ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of 36 states and union territor ...

's actions were met with outrage by the

Pakistani people Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

, who held nationwide protests against the "illegal Indian military occupation" and in solidarity with the Kashmiri people, with the

Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan () (abbreviated as GoP), constitutionally known as the Federal Government, commonly known as the Centre, is the national authority of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a federal republic located in South Asia, con ...

subsequently designating 5 August to be observed as the '' Youm-e-Istehsal'' () annually. * – the UAE ambassador to India, Al Banna said that his country had acknowledged the latest events in

. He stated that this restructuring was not an unprecedented occurrence in the

history of India Anatomically modern humans first arrived on the Indian subcontinent between 73,000 and 55,000 years ago. The earliest known human remains in South Asia date to 30,000 years ago. Sedentism, Sedentariness began in South Asia around 7000 BCE; ...

and that the decision was intended to decrease regional inequality and enhance operational efficiency for the Indian government. He labelled India's latest decision in Jammu and Kashmir to be its internal issue. * –

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

volunteered to serve as a mediator for the

Kashmir dispute The Kashmir conflict is a territorial conflict over the Kashmir region, primarily between India and Pakistan, and also between China and India in the northeastern portion of the region. The conflict started after the partition of India in 1 ...

between

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and

, but only if both countries accepted his offer.

Alice Wells Alice G. Wells is an American diplomat and former Ambassador of the United States of America to Jordan. Early life and education Wells was born in Beirut, Lebanon to Heidi and Wes Wells. Her father was at the time a U.S. Army officer statione ...

, the

Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs The assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian affairs is the head of the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs within the United States Department of State, which handles U.S. foreign policy and relations in the following countri ...

, said in a statement that the U.S. hoped "to see rapid action – the lifting of the restrictions and the release of those who have been detained". She added that the U.S. was "concerned by widespread detentions, including those of politicians and business leaders, and the restrictions on the residents of

". US lawmakers

Ilhan Omar Ilhan Abdullahi Omar (born October 4, 1982) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2019. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Before her election to Congress, Omar served in the Minnesota House of Represen ...

Rashida Tlaib Rashida Harbi Tlaib ( ; born July 24, 1976) is an American lawyer and politician serving as a U.S. representative from Michigan since 2019, representing the state's 12th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, sh ...

and

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (born October 13, 1989), also known as AOC, is an American politician and activist who has served since 2019 as the United States House of Representatives, US representative for New York's 14th congressional distric ...

have also called for an end to the communications blockade.

Supranational

* – A resolution passed by the OIC's Council of Foreign Ministers during a session held in

Niamey Niamey () is the capital and largest city of Niger. As the Niamey Urban Community (, CUN), it is a Regions of Niger, first-level division of Niger, surrounded by the Tillabéri Region, in the western part of the country. Niamey lies on the Nige ...

, Niger stated that the organisation "rejects the illegal and unilateral actions by India on August 5, 2019, to change the internationally recognised disputed status of the Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir, and demands that India rescind its illegal steps”. * – The United Nations' special rapporteur on freedom of expression, David Kaye, said in a statement that "there's something about this shutdown that is draconian in a way other shutdowns usually are not".

Secretary-General Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, Power (social and political), power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the org ...

Antonio Guterres Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language–speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular ...

raised concern over the new limitations placed on Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, adding that the latest events "could exacerbate the human rights situation in the region". He urged Pakistan and India to exercise restraint with each other and to engage in bilateral dialogue to de-escalate the already-sensitive situation.

Michelle Bachelet Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria (; born 29 September 1951) is a Chilean politician who served as President of Chile from 2006 to 2010 and again from 2014 to 2018, becoming the first woman to hold the presidency. She was re-elected in December ...

, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, raised concern regarding "the human rights of Kashmiris, including restrictions on internet communications and peaceful assembly, and the detention of local political leaders and activists" at the 42nd Session of the

United Nations Human Rights Council The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is a United Nations body whose mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world. The Council has 47 members elected for staggered three-year terms on a United Nations Regional Gro ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jammu and Kashmir lockdown, 2019-2020 2019 in India 2020 in India

Lockdown A lockdown () is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison protocol that us ...

Kashmir conflict