Srinagar (Web Desk): Curfew and communication blockade entered 16th day across Occupied Kashmir on Tuesday following the abolition of special status of the occupied valley by the Indian government.
Thousands of troops and policemen continue to patrol the deserted streets and lanes of Srinagar to thwart any attempt by residents to stage demonstrations against the Indian government.
A humanitarian crisis is fast unfolding as residents of occupied Kashmir face severe shortages of essential commodities including baby food and life-saving medicines due to the strict curfew and communication blockade.
The entire occupied territory has been turned into a military garrison as Indian troops and police personnel are deployed in every nook and corner.
Almost all Hurriyat leaders, including Syed Ali Gilani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, continue to remain under house arrest or in jails.
Meanwhile, the authorities also continue to impose information blockade as TV channels and internet links remain snapped and restrictions on media continue since August 5.
According to a foreign news agency quoting the security sources, some 120,000 extra soldiers have been deployed, joining around 500,000 already in the northern Himalayan region.
At least 4,000 people have also been detained under the Public Safety Act (PSA), which allows imprisonment for up to two years without charge or trial, government sources said.
Despite the so-called direction for reopening of nearly 200 primary schools in selected areas of the disputed territory, schools are empty as wary parents refused to send their children to schools.