The arrests come after India’s government revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir this week and downgraded the region from statehood to a territory

Axar.az reports citing foreign media that Indian security forces have arrested more than 500 people since New Delhi imposed a communications blackout and security clampdown in divided Kashmir, where people remained holed up in their homes for the fourth day.

Pakistan, which claims the divided Himalayan region together with India, on Thursday suspended a key train service with India over the change in Kashmir’s special status by New Delhi, as tensions between the rivals soared.
India’s government this week revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and downgraded the region from statehood to a territory. Rebels in Muslim-majority Kashmir have been fighting Indian rule in the portion it administers for decades.

Kashmir is India’s only Muslim-majority state and most people oppose Indian rule. The insurgency that began in 1989 and India’s ensuing crackdown has killed more than 70,000 people.