These streets should be buzzing

and the stores open late into the night,

as thousands of families gather

to shop, pray and feast.

But few people here are celebrating.

The city is on lockdown.

We’re inside one of the world’s most militarized regions,

contested by both India and Pakistan.

Kashmiris fought to maintain a degree of autonomy

for decades.

But last week, India stripped that special status away

on its side of the border,

a move that could lead to more unrest.

But these protesters could only be heard

on the back streets of their neighborhood.

India has sent in thousands of security forces

to confine and silence all opposition.

In Srinagar, Kashmir’s largest city,

they have eyes on each block.

Checkpoints are everywhere.

“They have betrayed us.

It was a backstabbing to us as Kashmiris.

They have make a prison — this Kashmir is — the whole

Kashmir is now a prison.”

And people have almost no way of communicating

with the outside world.

Indian authorities have cut off the internet,

cell phones and even landlines.

So, to place a call, some try to come here.

It’s a government building with a few phones

that may or may not work.

With the absence of communication,

there is an absence of information.

It’s not clear how long the restrictions will last

or how much longer people will tolerate them.

For now, the streets here are quiet.

But there is no peace, and the anger simmers.