Authorities in the Indian-administered part of Kashmir have shut down printing presses and temporarily banned newspapers from publishing in a sweeping information blackout after days of anti-India protests left dozens of people dead in the volatile region.
State government spokesman and education minister, Naeem Akhtar, said the measures were aimed at saving lives and strengthening peace efforts.
The government says 36 people-35 civilians and a police officer-have been killed in clashes between protesters and security forces, while local human rights groups and newspapers say at least 40 have died, Al Jazeera reported.
A strict curfew was in effect in troubled areas for the ninth straight day on Sunday, with hundreds of thousands of people trying to cope with shortages of food and other necessities.
Tens of thousands of government troops patrolled mostly deserted streets in the region where shops and businesses remained closed.
Kashmir, a predominantly Muslim region, is divided between India and Pakistan, but both claim it in its entirety.
Most people in India’s portion resent the presence of Indian troops and want independence or a merger with Pakistan.
Since 1989, more than 68,000 people have been killed in the uprising against the Indian rule and the subsequent Indian military crackdown. India and Pakistan have fought two wars over control of Kashmir since British colonialists left the Indian subcontinent in 1947.
