What Happened
- Following the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a large-scale US-Israeli military operation that commenced on February 28, 2026, protests erupted across the Kashmir Valley, particularly in Shia-majority areas including Srinagar, Budgam, Baramulla, and parts of south Kashmir.
- Authorities imposed strict restrictions for over three consecutive days — shutting schools, throttling mobile internet services, barricading major roads with concertina wire, and deploying heavy police and paramilitary forces.
- Scores of protesters, including women, were arrested across the valley; Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti demanded their immediate release, calling the arrests "unwarranted and unjust."
- Internet services were throttled rather than fully suspended, a pattern consistent with administrations managing mass protests while maintaining some connectivity for essential services.
- The protests reflect the geopolitical sensitivity of Jammu and Kashmir, where external events in the Muslim world — especially involving Shia communities — can trigger significant domestic unrest.
Static Topic Bridges
Section 144 CrPC / BNSS and Public Order Restrictions
Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (now the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023) empowers an Executive Magistrate to impose prohibitory orders banning assembly of five or more persons in a defined area to prevent imminent danger to public order, peace, or tranquillity. It is a preventive rather than punitive measure. The Supreme Court in Anuradha Bhasin vs. Union of India (2020) upheld that internet shutdowns must be proportionate, necessary, and time-bound, and cannot be imposed indefinitely without review.
- Section 144 orders are temporary and must specify the duration; they are reviewable by courts.
- The fundamental right to peaceful assembly is guaranteed under Article 19(1)(b) of the Constitution, subject to reasonable restrictions under Article 19(3) on grounds of public order and sovereignty of India.
- Internet shutdowns have a separate legal basis — the Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules, 2017, framed under the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885.
- India accounts for the highest number of internet shutdowns globally in recent years.
Connection to this news: Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir deployed Section 144 and internet throttling as twin tools to suppress the protest spread, prompting opposition parties to invoke Article 19 guarantees of assembly and expression.
Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Sedition Laws
The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (as amended in 2019) is India's primary anti-terror and anti-secessionist legislation. It allows designation of individuals (not just organisations) as terrorists, provides for long periods of pre-trial detention, and makes bail extremely difficult to obtain. The 2019 amendment expanded UAPA's scope to designate individuals as terrorists without trial. Unlike sedition under the BNS (which replaced IPC Section 124A), UAPA carries stricter bail conditions and broader evidentiary standards.
- UAPA allows detention without bail for up to 180 days during investigation.
- The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has primacy in UAPA cases, enabling central oversight.
- Critics argue UAPA's broad definition of "unlawful activity" can criminalise legitimate political dissent.
- In Jammu and Kashmir, PSA (Public Safety Act, 1978) — a state-level preventive detention law — is also frequently invoked.
Connection to this news: Multiple arrests in the Kashmir protests raised concerns about the use of stringent security laws against protesters exercising what the opposition characterised as constitutionally protected assembly and expression.
Jammu and Kashmir's Political and Constitutional Status
The abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019 bifurcated Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories — J&K (with a legislature) and Ladakh (without a legislature). The Supreme Court upheld the abrogation in December 2023 while directing statehood restoration at an "early date." Jammu and Kashmir conducted Assembly elections in September-October 2024, with the National Conference forming the government; however, law-and-order and the police remain under the Lieutenant Governor (Union Government's representative), not the elected state government.
- J&K Police continue under LG's administrative authority, not the elected Chief Minister.
- The LG has vast discretionary powers under Article 239A and the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019.
- Statehood restoration remains a pending commitment; no formal timeline has been announced.
- External events involving Muslim-majority or Shia communities have historically triggered protests in the Valley, reflecting its complex geopolitical identity.
Connection to this news: The administrative authority for ordering restrictions and arrests in Kashmir rests with the Union Territory administration (LG), not the elected government — a constitutionally significant distinction that shapes how law enforcement responds to civil unrest.
Key Facts & Data
- Protests erupted after confirmed killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes beginning February 28, 2026.
- Restrictions persisted for at least 3 consecutive days; schools shut; mobile internet throttled in Srinagar, Budgam, Baramulla, and south Kashmir.
- Former CM Mehbooba Mufti (PDP) demanded immediate release of all arrested protesters.
- Article 19(1)(b) guarantees right to peaceful assembly; Article 19(3) permits restrictions for public order and sovereignty.
- Internet shutdowns governed by Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services Rules, 2017 (under Indian Telegraph Act, 1885).
- Key Supreme Court ruling: Anuradha Bhasin vs. Union of India (2020) — internet shutdown must be proportionate and time-bound.
- J&K Police operate under LG's authority, not the elected state government, under the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019.