India extends lockdown in Kashmir ahead of Eid

SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir

In view of surging coronavirus infections and ahead of the Eid al-Fitr festival, the administration in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday extended the ongoing complete lockdown by a week.

Authorities said the curfew, which was supposed to end at 7 a.m on May 10, has been extended till May 17.

"The extended lockdown shall remain effective in all the 20 districts of the region," the regional information and public relations department said. “The curfew will be strict except for a few essential services while the gatherings for marriages are reduced to 25 people only.”

On April 29, the administration announced the strict lockdown, with only essential services such as food establishments and hospitals being allowed to operate.

The disputed region, which has registered a total of 211,742 cases and 2,672 fatalities, saw on Saturday record 60 related deaths.

As many as 2.2 million people have been vaccinated since the beginning of the inoculation drive in March.

The Muslim religious holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting, was celebrated under a lockdown last year as well.

Disputed region

Kashmir is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed both in full. A small sliver of the region is also under Chinese control.

Since they were partitioned in 1947, the two countries have fought three wars, two of them over Kashmir.

Some Kashmiri groups have been fighting against Indian rule for independence, or unification with neighboring Pakistan.

According to several human rights organizations, thousands of people have been killed and tortured in the conflict since 1989.

On Aug. 5, 2019 the Indian government revoked Article 370 and other related provisions from its Constitution, scrapping the country’s only Muslim-majority state with its autonomy. It was also split into two federally administered territories.