SRINAGAR – Thousands of people have been detained in Indian-occupiedKashmir over fears of unrest since New Delhi stripped the restive region ofits autonomy two weeks ago, government sources told *AFP*.

A magistrate, speaking to *AFP* on condition of anonymity, said that atleast 4,000 people were arrested and held under the Public Safety Act(PSA), a controversial law that allows authorities to imprison someone forup to two years without charge or trial.

“Most of them were flown out of Kashmir because prisons here have run outof capacity,” the magistrate said, adding that he had used a satellitephone allocated to him to collate the figures from colleagues across theHimalayan territory amid a communications blackout imposed by authorities.-APP / AFP