Kashmir Crisis: Government revokes Article 370, uproar in Rajya Sabha

Delhi: Union Minister Amit Shah proposed for the bifurcation of Jammu & Kashmir into two union territories in the Parliament on Monday. Meanwhile, the bill to revoke Article 370 has been signed by the President of India.

Chaos has ensued in the Rajya Sabha as Home Minster Amit Shah started to speak on the government's stance on the on-going Kashmir crisis. The opposition started questioning the Home Minister, as he was introducing a bill on implementing the 10% EWS quota in J&K. Shah said he was ready to answer all questions on Kashmir.

Back in the Valley, three of Jammu and Kashmir's most prominent politicians — Mehbooba Mufti, Omar Abdullah and Sajjad Lone are under house arrest amid a massive security-built up in the state. Internet services and mobile services have been suspended in several places and all public gatherings are banned in Srinagar district as section 144 was imposed from midnight.  

What is Article 370?

The Article was drafted in 1947 by Sheikh Abdullah, who was appointed as the prime minister of J&K by Maharaja Hari Singh and Jawaharlal Nehru.

According to the Article, the Parliament needs the concurrence of the state government to pass laws made in the Parliament, except for Defence, foreign affairs and communications.

The residents of the state reside under different set of laws, including citizenship, ownership of property and fundamental rights.

So, Indian citizens from other states are not allowed to purchase land or other property as per the Article. The Centre can only declare emergency only in the case of war or external aggression. The validity of the Article has been questioned time and again.