Abrogation of Article 370: Peace and normalcy prevails in Jammu and Kashmir

As per the feedback from ground zero, there is peace and normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir and it has been event free. No agitation was seen.

People are also moving about for essential work. Locals seemed supportive and they feel the change was well planned and feel sufficiently reassured by statements and actions of the Centre, a political observer on Kashmir said.

"Local people also feel that local politicians had vested interests and had taken them for a ride for long," he said.

Also Union Home Minister Amit Shah's assurance that Jammu and Kashmir, which has been turned into a Union Territory after bifurcating it, will regain its statehood once the situation improves in the valley has been welcomed by the local population.

Jammu and Kashmir has been bifurcated into two Union Territories- Jammu and Kashmir with an assembly and Ladakh without an assembly.

Jammu and Kashmir DGP Dilbag Singh also rubbished a few reports stating there was violence in south Kashmir following the Centre's move.

Singh said as quoted by India Today, "There is zero violence in Kashmir. Any report of violence in the Valley is incorrect. Situation in south, north and central Kashmir is completely peaceful." 

The politically-volatile and terrorism wracked  Jammu and Kashmir, a bone of contention and military disputes for over seven decades between two nuclear armed neighbours of India and Pakistan, will not enjoy any special status anymore, as the ruling BJP-led government scrapped Article 370, in a move to integrate the Muslim-majority region with the rest of the country and bifurcate the state into two.

A large number of non-BJP political parties also welcomed the move while the opposition Congress is divided on the issue with many of its top leaders lending support to the decision of the BJP-led NDA government.

Image: Scenes from Srinagar