On August 6, 2019, the Government of India made a significant constitutional change by revoking the special status or autonomy granted to the state of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution. This action removed the special provisions that had been in place since 1947, affecting a region that has been a subject of territorial disputes among India, Pakistan, and China.

Accompanying this revocation, the Indian government implemented several measures in the Kashmir Valley. Communication lines were cut off, a move that lasted for five months. Thousands of additional security forces were deployed to the region to prevent any potential unrest. High-profile Kashmiri political figures, including former chief ministers, were detained. These actions were described by government officials as preemptive steps to avert violence. They also justified the revocation as a means to allow the people of the state to fully access various government programs, such as reservation benefits, the right to education, and the right to information.

In the Kashmir Valley, the response to these changes was heavily controlled through the suspension of communication services and the imposition of a curfew under Section 144. While many Indian nationalists celebrated the move as a step towards public order and prosperity in Kashmir, the decision was met with a mixed reaction among political parties in India. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and several other parties supported the revocation. However, it faced opposition from parties including the Indian National Congress, Jammu & Kashmir National Conference, and others.

In Ladakh, which was part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, reactions were divided along community lines. While people in the predominantly Shia Muslim area of Kargil protested against the decision, the Buddhist community in Ladakh largely supported it.

The President of India issued an order under Article 370 to supersede the 1954 Presidential Order, effectively nullifying the provisions of autonomy granted to Jammu and Kashmir. The Indian Home Minister introduced a Reorganisation Bill in Parliament, proposing the division of the state into two union territories, each to be governed by a lieutenant governor and a unicameral legislature. This bill and the resolution for revoking Article 370's special status were debated and passed in both houses of the Indian Parliament—the Rajya Sabha (upper house) and the Lok Sabha (lower house)—on August 5 and 6, 2019, respectively. This marked a significant shift in the governance and administration of Jammu and Kashmir, reflecting a major change in India's approach to this strategically important and politically sensitive region.