Authorities in Indian-administered Kashmir have imposed a security lockdown on the first anniversary of abrogation of Article 370 that granted the Muslim-majority region a measure of autonomy.

One year on, the Himalayan region remains tense as tens of thousands of soldiers keep watch on the local population, most of whom object to the government decision that was accompanied by a communication blackout, widespread restrictions and mass detentions, including of elected leaders.

Most of those measures have been eased, although internet speeds are still restricted. More recently, many families have been confined indoors because of coronavirus lockdowns.

The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said the move was to bring “development” and end violence in a region that has witnessed armed rebellion against Indian rule since 1989.

Monitoring groups say more than 70,000 people in Indian-administered Kashmir, most of them civilians, have died since then.

India and Pakistan, partitioned when the Indian subcontinent gained independence from the British in 1947, have fought two of their three wars over the disputed region of Kashmir, which both claim in full but administer separate portions of it.