I believe I’m being placed under house arrest from midnight tonight & the process has already started for other mai… https://t.co/CXmcc5Z37c — Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) 1564941648000

To the people of Kashmir, we don’t know what is in store for us but I am a firm believer that what ever Almighty Al… https://t.co/t8dQ39VTwP — Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) 1564941758000

SRINAGAR/NEW DELHI: In a series of fast-moving developments, former J&K chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti and People's Conference chief Sajad Lone were placed under house arrest at midnight, fuelling speculation that the Centre is planning a major initiative like scrapping Article 35A of the Constitution.Article 35A allows the Jammu and Kashmir assembly to frame rules defining "permanent residents" and prohibits non-permanent residents from settling permanently in the state, acquiring immovable property, government jobs and scholarships.Jammu & Kashmir: Live updatesThe decision to place the Kashmir leaders under house arrest came in the backdrop of J&K governor Satyapal Malik on Sunday saying any initiative would not be a "secret" and could be revealed in Parliament, which is in session. Latest news reports indicated that Section 144 had been imposed till further orders in the entire Srinagar district, banning public meetings, rallies, and gatherings, and movement of people, though curfew was not officially imposed. There were also reports of internet services being restricted across the valley.All educational institutions were told to remain closed. In Jammu, too, all schools, colleges and educational institutions were advised to remain closed.Security agencies are looking to pre-empt attempts by separatist organisations to fan trouble. A telecom shut-down seems in the offing.The Modi government could move on its manifesto promise to do away with Article 35A, which government sources said does not require parliamentary approval. The massive induction of paramilitary troops and stepped-up action against infiltration attempts seem a political and security response ahead of of the Article 35A decision.Shortly before midnight, Omar Abdullah tweeted: “I believe I’m being placed under house arrest from midnight and the process has already started for other mainstream leaders. No way of knowing if this is true but if it is, then I’ll see all of you on the other side of whatever is in store. Allah save us.” A few minutes later, his tweet was proved correct.Earlier in the day, J&K governor Satya Pal Malik was quoted by news agency ANI as saying, “Parliament is in session... whatever will happen, it will not happen secretly, it will come to Parliament, it will be discussed.” He further asked people to wait until Monday or Tuesday even as he deepened the mystery by saying he had no specific information of what might be in the offing. “Till today, I have no inclination, no information. I have talked to everybody in Delhi, and nobody has given me any hint that we will do this or that. Whatever somebody is saying — there will be trifurcation, Article 35A, 370 — nobody has discussed with me these things, either the PM or the home minister,” he said.Malik’s statement came even as the Union cabinet is scheduled to meet at 9.30am on Monday, just ahead of Parliament proceedings at 11am. On Sunday, home minister Amit Shah held a meeting with national security adviser Ajit Doval, home secretary Rajiv Gauba and heads of Intelligence Bureau and RAW. This was followed by discussions with senior officials of the home ministry’s J&K division with the focus on the security situation in the state.While leaders and bureaucrats remained tight-lipped on the agenda of Monday’s cabinet meeting, it is learnt that the government had been planning abrogation of Article 35A even before the Lok Sabha polls were called. A senior functionary told TOI that the necessary paperwork for scrapping the article was completed in February and that BJP included the same in its manifesto only after doing its homework.Shah has already demonstrated that manifesto promises are taken seriously. Only recently, the instant triple talaq bill, another manifesto promise, was enacted. Shah recently underlined that Article 370 was temporary. Government sources maintained Article 35A was bad in law and could be done away with by an executive order. A government leader reiterated that pendency of the matter relating to 35A in the SC could not keep the government from going ahead with its abrogation, as sought in the petition.