Kashmir news LIVE updates: Senior Congress leader and party national spokesperson Sanjay Jha took to Twitter on Monday and said that the BJP-led Centre should have discussed it with those parties who are directly affected by the abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir. 'So you have a 3 BHK house. It is yours. Now you amend it, modify it into a 4 BHK house, by breaking one bedroom into two. The size remains the same. It is still yours. But would your family be happy if you did this reconstruction without asking for their approval?'

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Rohit Kansal, Jammu and Kashmir government spokesperson, said, "Over 190 primary schools will reopen tomorrow in Srinagar alone and after this, we look forward to other areas like taking up development-related activities."

The Centre and the Jammu and Kashmir administration are gearing up for further easing of restrictions in the state, after some areas saw a communications clampdown and curfew for at least 14 days.

However, the Indian Army rejected the Jammu and Kashmir People's Movement leader's allegations regarding situation and termed them "baseless". "Allegations levelled by Shehla Rashid are baseless and rejected. Such unverified and fake news are spread by inimical elements and organisations to incite unsuspecting population," the Army stated.

Activist Shehla Rashid on Sunday tweeted a thread regarding the situation 'on-ground' in the Kashmir Valley, which has been under restrictions of communications and movement since 4 August. She said that people coming from the Valley, had said that a shortage in gas services, medicines had set in, while people were also unable to keep job interview appointments, or recharge their D2H TV cable connections.

Several Twitter users defended the activist and accused the BJP's IT cell for making the hashtag trend. One user said , "It isn't surprising to see #ArrestShehlaRashid trending. This is purely the handiwork of the @BJP4India IT Cell. Truth is what haunts them. Continue to speak the truth @Shehla_Rashid. You are not alone."

The hashtag '#ArrestShehlaRashid' was trending on Twitter on Monday after the activist and politician tweeted on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir as several parts of the state continued to grapple with a communications clampdown and a curfew for the 15th day.

Mamata added, "Human rights is a subject very close to my heart. In 1995, I was on the road for 21 days to protect human rights violations against deaths in lock-ups."

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, asserting that human rights is a subject "close to her heart", on the occasion of 'World Humanitarian Day', tweeted that human rights had been "totally violated" in Kashmir, as several parts of the restive region faced curfew and other restrictions for the 15th day on Monday. The restrictions were put in place by the Narendra Modi-led government due to its decision to abrogate Article 370, which gave the state a degree of autonomy.

The report also said that schools in the state capital, Srinagar, "wore a deserted look as children didn't turn up".

Only 95 of 190 schools have reopened in the Kashmir Valley on Monday, India Today reported as the Jammu and Kashmir government, with the Centre, is making efforts to "gradually" ease the restrictions imposed in the restive state after the abrogation of Article 370, which gave it a degree of autonomy.

However, after stray incidents of violence in certain areas in which restrictions had been eased on Saturday, curbs were also tightened in some parts of Srinagar on Sunday.

After the Jammu and Kashmir government announced on Friday that it would "gradually" roll back the restrictions imposed in Jammu and Kashmir after the Centre abrogated Article 370 in the state, restrictions were further eased on Sunday in 50 police station areas of the Kashmir Valley.

He also asserted that no "untoward incidents" had been reported from the areas. He said that public traffic had plied and that shopkeepers had opened their shops for business on Sunday.

Jammu and Kashmir government spokesperson Rohit Kansal, in a press conference on Sunday, said that the duration of relaxation in the curfew imposed had also been increased from six hours to eight hours on Sunday. He added that restrictions had been eased in 50 police station areas on Sunday, as opposed to 35 areas on Saturday.

"BSNL officers and technicians are working continuously to restore the working of exchanges across Kashmir valley," he said. "The government will attempt to restore infrastructural and developmental works as the overall situation further improves," added Kansal.

Jammu and Kashmir government spokesperson Rohit Kansal on Sunday said that it was the "endeavour" of the government to restore all the landlines to their full functionality as soon as possible.

On Sunday, Kansal said, "In areas where relaxation was provided, we have no report of any untoward incident. There are, however, very minor reports of 2-3 disturbances in areas where relaxations were not provided. These were dealt with by local security agencies."

Jammu and Kashmir government spokesperson Rohit Kansal on Sunday addressed a press conference and said that cases of hooliganism and some disturbance were reported from certain areas of the Kashmir Valley "but was dealt with by local security agencies." On Friday, the government said that it was making efforts to ease the restrictions that have been imposed since 4 August. Officials also added that the decisions were being made after reviewing the security situation.

The report also said that despite the government's efforts to bring normalcy back to the Valley after almost 15 days of restrictions on communications and movement, the situation remained "far from normal".

In accordance with the Jammu and Kashmir government's direction that primary schools were to reopen in the state on Monday, students attended school in Jammu region's Rajouri district. However, schools in the Valley "remained shut" because parents were reluctant to send their children, CNN-News18 reported.

Iqbal was quoted by NDTV as saying, "We have opened schools only in some areas after reviewing security there. We appeal to parents to send their children wherever schools have been reopened. Security is our responsibility." He also added that only 196 of 900 primary schools in Srinagar had been allowed to reopen on Monday.

Srinagar deputy commissioner of police, Shahid Iqbal on Monday appealed to parents in the Kashmir Valley to send their children to school after some primary schools reopened in the state capital on Monday. Reports said that although the schools had reopened according to the government's direction, the attendance was very low because parents were reluctant to let their children attend school.

Some government offices were also functional on Friday, which is when the state government announced the "gradual" rolling back of restrictions/

All government offices were scheduled to open in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, after almost 15 days of restrictions on communications and movements post the Centre's move to abrogate Article 370 in the state.

"In 2010, around 110 people died. This time, we were sure we wanted to save as many lives as possible," Kumar was quoted by NDTV as saying. He also referred to the restrictions imposed on Eid last week, and said: "There were greater restrictions in 2016. Wherever the bigger congregations were likely, we restricted them."

Jammu and Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik's adviser K Vijaya Kumar said that the stringent and prolonged restrictions on communications and movement in the restive state was put in place with the intention to avoid any loss of life.

She added, "Public at large is further advised not to believe in such rumours/baseless news and not to further spread such news without verifying from authentic sources."

Jammu and Kashmir home secretary Shaleen Kabra referred to "fake news" that weapons of special police officers (SPO) of Jammu and Kashmir Police are being seized. The DIPR-Jammu and Kashmir handle on Twitter quoted her as saying, "This is purely a rumour being spread by vested interests. It is categorically denied."

In a series of tweets, Rashid had on Sunday said that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have been rendered powerless due to the restrictions on communication and movement in the restive state. "People are saying that Jammu and Kashmir Police has no authority on law and order situation....Everything is in the hands of paramilitary forces," she tweeted.

Srivastava, speaking to the media said, "She has made these allegations to disrepute the Indian Army. I ask her why there is no video evidence of the torture she is talking about, since there is a ban on mobile phone networks, but not the instrument itself. There is no basis behind these allegations."

The Supreme Court lawyer, Alakh Alok Srivastava, who on Monday filed a criminal complaint against activist and politican Shehla Rashid said that her allegations of torture against the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir have "no basis". Rashid on Sunday had tweeted a 'ground report' on the situation in the state reeling under a stringent and prolonged communications clampdown and curfew. She said that locals were being detained and tortured by security agencies in the Valley.

Reports also said that private schools in Srinagar remained shut "because parents were apprehensive about the security situation in view of violent protests over the past two days."

Teachers in schools in the Kashmir Valley were reportedly present at work on Monday, which was the first day the schools were scheduled to reopen after a stringent and prolonged curfew of almost 15 days. The Centre had imposed restrictions after the abrogation of Article 370 in the state, which had granted it a degree of autonomy.

"There is so much uncertainty in the situation that sending kids to school at this stage is out of question," Farooq Ahmad Dar, a parent, was quoted by PTI as saying.

Even as the Jammu and Kashmir Police appealed to parents in the Kashmir Valley to send their children to school after primary schools reopened after a curfew of 15 days on Monday, parents said that there was "no question" of sending their children to school.

The Jammu and Kashmir government and police have reiterated intentions to bring the situation in the restive state back to normal after the Centre imposed stringent restrictions on communications and movement for almost 15 days. However, reportedly, the scene in the state's capital, Srinagar, was "Far from normal" as people were reluctant to venture out.

The Jammu and Kashmir government and police have reiterated intentions to bring the situation in the restive state back to normal after the Centre imposed stringent restrictions on communications and movement for almost 15 days. However, reportedly, the scene in the state's capital, Srinagar, was "Far from normal" as people were reluctant to venture out.

"Because you knew deep within that Article 370 was not in the national interest. You indulged in vote bank politics... vote is above the country for you...." he said, addressing a BJP public meeting in New Delhi.

"Modi ji has created one nation, one legislation, one "nishan" (symbol)... But why does the Congress oppose it? The party says it (Article 370) was temporary. If 370 was so good, why you did not make it permanent? You had more than 400 MPs at one time, why did you not make it permanent?" he asked.

BJP Working President JP Nadda on Sunday hit out at the Congress for not supporting abrogation of Article 370, alleging that the party always indulged in vote bank politics though they knew the Article was not in the national interest.

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Monday tweeted saying in defence of democracy in Kashmir and demanding the release of political party leaders in the state, the DMK and all its MPs, led by its president MK Stalin, will protest outside Delhi's Jantar Mantar on 22 August.

Reiterating their previous demand, senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said that the government "should" reverse its decision regarding abrogating Article 370 in Kashmir. "I demand from the govt that the wrong decision (#Article370Scrapped) taken by them, which has also been proved wrong as nobody in the state is happy, such a decision should be reversed. Political leaders should be released & normalcy must be restored," Azad was quoted as saying by ANI .

Responding to the video, an Indian journalist called it out as fake news and said, "Old video from Haryana." This is not the first time that Pakistan minister was called out for fake news and sharing fake videos on social media. Earlier, former Pakistan minister Rehman Malik tweeted a video which showed severely wounded people in Kashmir being carried to safety by people on the streets. In his tweet, he said that the villages of Kashmir were attacked by India Army's gunship helicopters and claimed that a dozen men, women and children were killed. Senior journalists from India, like Pallavi Ghosh and Swati Chaturvedi, slammed Malik on Twitter, terming the video as 'fake' and 'propaganda'.

Syed Ali Haider Zaidi, a Pakistani politician who is the current Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs, in office since 11 September 2018, tweeted a video on Sunday with the caption: "Let the world see what @narendramodi Govt is doing in #Kashmir The #Hitler from the East rises while the world sleeps. @realDonaldTrump should consider imposing trade sanctions on India to control this monster before it’s too late! #SaveKashmirFromModi #IndianHitlerModi".

Since the Indian government decided to abrogate Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, reactions have been pouring in from all corners of the world, especially Pakistan. Pakistani ministers and journalists have taken to Twitter and vociferously slammed the Indian government for taking a "unilateral" decision on an "international matter". While the Narendra Modi-led Indian government has responded to Pakistan's allegations on every official fora, allegations are flying on social media as well.

Times Now reports that home minister Amit Shah-led security review meeting is underway in Delhi. According to the report, home secretary, NSA Ajit Doval and other senior officials are present in the meeting.

"So you have a 3 BHK house. It is yours. Now you amend it, modify it into a 4 BHK house, by breaking one bedroom into two. The size remains the same. It is still yours. But would your family be happy if you did this reconstruction without asking for their approval?"

Senior Congress leader and party national spokesperson Sanjay Jha took to Twitter on Monday and said that the BJP-led Centre should have discussed it with those parties who are directly affected by the abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir.

Reports also said that private schools in Srinagar remained shut "because parents were apprehensive about the security situation in view of violent protests over the past two days."

Teachers in schools in the Kashmir Valley were reportedly present at work on Monday, which was the first day the schools were scheduled to reopen after a stringent and prolonged curfew of almost 15 days. The Centre had imposed restrictions after the abrogation of Article 370 in the state, which had granted it a degree of autonomy.

"There is so much uncertainty in the situation that sending kids to school at this stage is out of question," Farooq Ahmad Dar, a parent, was quoted by PTI as saying.

Even as the Jammu and Kashmir Police appealed to parents in the Kashmir Valley to send their children to school after primary schools reopened after a curfew of 15 days on Monday, parents said that there was "no question" of sending their children to school.

The Jammu and Kashmir government and police have reiterated intentions to bring the situation in the restive state back to normal after the Centre imposed stringent restrictions on communications and movement for almost 15 days. However, reportedly, the scene in the state's capital, Srinagar, was "Far from normal" as people were reluctant to venture out.

The Jammu and Kashmir government and police have reiterated intentions to bring the situation in the restive state back to normal after the Centre imposed stringent restrictions on communications and movement for almost 15 days. However, reportedly, the scene in the state's capital, Srinagar, was "Far from normal" as people were reluctant to venture out.

"Because you knew deep within that Article 370 was not in the national interest. You indulged in vote bank politics... vote is above the country for you...." he said, addressing a BJP public meeting in New Delhi.

"Modi ji has created one nation, one legislation, one "nishan" (symbol)... But why does the Congress oppose it? The party says it (Article 370) was temporary. If 370 was so good, why you did not make it permanent? You had more than 400 MPs at one time, why did you not make it permanent?" he asked.

BJP Working President JP Nadda on Sunday hit out at the Congress for not supporting abrogation of Article 370, alleging that the party always indulged in vote bank politics though they knew the Article was not in the national interest.

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Monday tweeted saying in defence of democracy in Kashmir and demanding the release of political party leaders in the state, the DMK and all its MPs, led by its president MK Stalin, will protest outside Delhi's Jantar Mantar on 22 August.

Reiterating their previous demand, senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said that the government "should" reverse its decision regarding abrogating Article 370 in Kashmir. "I demand from the govt that the wrong decision (#Article370Scrapped) taken by them, which has also been proved wrong as nobody in the state is happy, such a decision should be reversed. Political leaders should be released & normalcy must be restored," Azad was quoted as saying by ANI .

Let the world see what @narendramodi Govt is doing in #Kashmir The #Hitler from the East rises while the world sleeps. @realDonaldTrump should consider imposing trade sanctions on India to control this monster before it’s too late! #SaveKashmirFromModi #IndianHitlerModi pic.twitter.com/YS5kBZAmk1

Responding to the video, an Indian journalist called it out as fake news and said, "Old video from Haryana." This is not the first time that Pakistan minister was called out for fake news and sharing fake videos on social media. Earlier, former Pakistan minister Rehman Malik tweeted a video which showed severely wounded people in Kashmir being carried to safety by people on the streets. In his tweet, he said that the villages of Kashmir were attacked by India Army's gunship helicopters and claimed that a dozen men, women and children were killed. Senior journalists from India, like Pallavi Ghosh and Swati Chaturvedi, slammed Malik on Twitter, terming the video as 'fake' and 'propaganda'.

Syed Ali Haider Zaidi, a Pakistani politician who is the current Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs, in office since 11 September 2018, tweeted a video on Sunday with the caption: "Let the world see what @narendramodi Govt is doing in #Kashmir The #Hitler from the East rises while the world sleeps. @realDonaldTrump should consider imposing trade sanctions on India to control this monster before it’s too late! #SaveKashmirFromModi #IndianHitlerModi".

Since the Indian government decided to abrogate Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, reactions have been pouring in from all corners of the world, especially Pakistan. Pakistani ministers and journalists have taken to Twitter and vociferously slammed the Indian government for taking a "unilateral" decision on an "international matter". While the Narendra Modi-led Indian government has responded to Pakistan's allegations on every official fora, allegations are flying on social media as well.

Times Now reports that home minister Amit Shah-led security review meeting is underway in Delhi. According to the report, home secretary, NSA Ajit Doval and other senior officials are present in the meeting.

So you have a 3 BHK house. It is yours. Now you amend it, modify it into a 4 BHK house, by breaking one bedroom into two. The size remains the same. It is still yours. But would your family be happy if you did this reconstruction without asking for their approval? #Think

"So you have a 3 BHK house. It is yours. Now you amend it, modify it into a 4 BHK house, by breaking one bedroom into two. The size remains the same. It is still yours. But would your family be happy if you did this reconstruction without asking for their approval?"

Senior Congress leader and party national spokesperson Sanjay Jha took to Twitter on Monday and said that the BJP-led Centre should have discussed it with those parties who are directly affected by the abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir.

Kashmir news LATEST updates: Senior Congress leader and party national spokesperson Sanjay Jha took to Twitter on Monday and said that the BJP-led Centre should have discussed it with those parties who are directly affected by the abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir. "So you have a 3 BHK house. It is yours. Now you amend it, modify it into a 4 BHK house, by breaking one bedroom into two. The size remains the same. It is still yours. But would your family be happy if you did this reconstruction without asking for their approval?"

Since the Indian government decided to abrogate Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, reactions have been pouring in from all corners of the world, especially Pakistan. Pakistani ministers and journalists have taken to Twitter and vociferously slammed the Indian government for taking a "unilateral" decision on an "international matter". Syed Ali Haider Zaidi, a Pakistani politician who is the current Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs, in office since 11 September 2018, tweeted a video on Sunday with the caption: "Let the world see what @narendramodi Govt is doing in #Kashmir The #Hitler from the East rises while the world sleeps. @realDonaldTrump should consider imposing trade sanctions on India to control this monster before it’s too late! #SaveKashmirFromModi #IndianHitlerModi". Responding to the video, an Indian journalist called it out as fake news and said, "Old video from Haryana."

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Monday tweeted saying in defence of democracy in Kashmir and demanding the release of political party leaders in the state, the DMK and all its MPs, led by its president MK Stalin, will protest outside Delhi's Jantar Mantar on 22 August.

Even as 196 of 900 primary schools reopened after 15 days of curfew in Kashmir, parents said that there was "no question" of sending their children to school. "There is so much uncertainty in the situation that sending kids to school at this stage is out of question," Farooq Ahmad Dar, a parent, was quoted by PTI as saying.

Reports said that the parents remained defiant even as the Jammu and Kashmir Police appealed to parents in the Kashmir Valley to send their children to school.

Supreme Court lawyer Alakh Alok Srivastava filed a criminal complaint against activist and politician Shehla Rashid on Monday, seeking her arrest for allegedly spreading "fake news", News18 reported.

In a series of tweets, Rashid had on Sunday said that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have been rendered powerless due to the restrictions on communication and movement in the restive state. "People are saying that Jammu and Kashmir Police has no authority on law and order situation....Everything is in the hands of paramilitary forces," she tweeted.

In accordance with the Jammu and Kashmir government's direction that primary schools were to reopen in the state on Monday, students attended school in Jammu region's Rajouri district. However, schools in the Valley "remained shut" because parents were reluctant to send their children, CNN-News18 reported.

The report also said that despite the government's efforts to bring normalcy back to the Valley after almost 15 days of restrictions on communications and movement, the situation remained "far from normal".

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, asserting that human rights is a subject "close to her heart", on the occasion of 'World Humanitarian Day', tweeted that human rights had been "totally violated" in Kashmir, as several parts of the restive region faced curfew and other restrictions for the 15th day on Monday. The restrictions were put in place by the Narendra Modi-led government due to its decision to abrogate Article 370, which gave the state a degree of autonomy.

Mamata added, "Human rights is a subject very close to my heart. In 1995, I was on the road for 21 days to protect human rights violations against deaths in lock-ups."

Restrictions were further eased in 50 police station areas of the Kashmir Valley on Sunday though curbs were tightened in some parts of Srinagar after stray incidents of violence, and internet services were snapped again in five districts of the Jammu region, a day after they were restored, as strict security arrangements continued in Jammu and Kashmir.

The first batch of 300 Haj pilgrims returned to Kashmir from Saudi Arabia on Sunday amid elaborate arrangements made by the authorities to ensure their smooth return, officials said.

"The process of easing prohibitory orders is on. The restrictions were eased in 50 police station areas today as against 35 police station areas yesterday," government spokesman Rohit Kansal told reporters on Sunday evening. Kansal said a new week is starting from Monday and "we are looking at it with new hope".

"Over 190 primary schools will reopen tomorrow in Srinagar alone and after this, we look forward to other areas like taking up development-related activities," he said.

Kansal said the duration of relaxation was also increased from six hours to eight hours on Sunday.

"The relaxations were announced thereby enabling people and shopkeepers to plan in advance. The relaxation hours were increased keeping in view the response yesterday and the request by traders. This process will continue in the days to come," he said.

The government spokesman said there were reports of "hooliganism by some mischievous elements coercing the shopkeepers" in some areas to shut their shops.

"The law enforcing agencies have taken note. There are no reports of any untoward incidents in the areas which witnessed relaxations. However, there are reports of two-three incidents of disturbances in which two persons have been injured who are stated to be stable. These incidents have been dealt by local security forces," he said.

On the issue of the restoration of mobile phone services in the valley, Kansal said easing of restrictions on communication will continue and the endeavour is to restore landline telephone services to the fullest as quickly as possible.

Earlier, the officials said restrictions were tightened in some parts of Srinagar city on Sunday following incidents of violence a day earlier. They added that restrictions continued in many parts of the valley for the 14th day on Sunday.

The restrictions were reimposed in certain areas which witnessed trouble on Saturday after the curbs were eased in several areas of the city and elsewhere in the valley, the officials said. They said protests took place at around a dozen places in which several protesters were injured.

However, the exact number of injuries was not available, the officials said. On Saturday evening, Kansal said protests took place at six places in the valley in which eight persons suffered injuries.

Landline telephone services have been restored in several areas of the city as the process to bring more areas on the telecom map was going on, the officials said. Some private vehicles were seen plying in the civil lines areas of the city and the other district headquarters of the valley on Sunday, they said, adding some shops were also open in those areas.

In the Jammu region, low-speed (2G) mobile Internet services were once again snapped in five districts on Sunday to check rumour-mongering, a day after the services were restored. A police official said the authorities concerned directed service providers to snap the services around forenoon. He said the decision was taken to check rumour-mongering and maintain peace and tranquillity.

Low-speed mobile Internet services were restored in five districts of Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Udhampur and Reasi during the intervening night of Friday and Saturday after remaining suspended for nearly a fortnight.

Mobile Internet services were snapped across Jammu region on August 4, a day before the Centre revoked the provisions of Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated it into two union territories -- Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

Curfew-like restrictions were put in place across the state hours before the move. However, the restrictions were subsequently eased.

Immediately after the resumption of 2G mobile Internet services in five districts, Jammu Inspector General of Police Mukesh Singh had warned of strict action against anyone circulating fake messages or videos on social media. The first batch of 304 Haj pilgrims from Saudi Arabia landed at the Srinagar airport Sunday morning, the officials said.

They said elaborate arrangements were made for the smooth movement of pilgrims to their respective destinations.

"Only one family member is allowed at the airport to receive the Hajis. A fleet of State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) buses has been deployed to facilitate the movement of Hajis and their relatives with the coordination of all district administrations," an official said.

The security forces were directed to allow passage of pilgrims and their relatives, who were issued passes, through the areas where restrictions are in place, the officials said.