India's imposition of an unprecedented communications blackout on Jammu and Kashmir hours before stripping its only Muslim-majority state of special rights in place for decades was sharply criticized Monday by media and rights groups.
One senior journalist accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government of humiliating residents of the divided Himalayan region while others warned that heavy-handedness risked triggering fresh unrest.
The government said the clampdown on telecommunications and media services, which began late Sunday night and was still in effect almost 24 hours later, was needed to curb any potential violence.