Srinagar (India) (AFP)

Eid celebrations started "peacefully" in Indian Kashmir, police said, while army imposed severe restrictions on mosques for fear of unrest related to revoking the region's autonomy by New Delhi.

The celebrations of the Muslim festival of sacrifice, which began on Monday, were "peaceful," Dilbagh Singh, chief of police of Indian Kashmir, told AFP on Monday night.

"There was an isolated protest in Srinagar (capital of Indian Kashmir, ed) but nothing important," he said.

Jama Masjid, the largest mosque in the Himalayan region, had to close and the population was allowed to pray only in smaller local mosques to avoid excessive gatherings, witnesses said.

The Indian government announced on Aug. 5 the revocation of the constitutional autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir (North), an explosive move to place under a more direct guardianship of New Delhi, this region mostly populated by Muslims.

Indian Kashmir now lives under a lead screed, with forbidden gatherings and cut communications. More than 80,000 additional paramilitaries have been deployed to secure this region, where the separatist insurgency has claimed 70,000 lives since 1989.

According to the Indian press, at least 500 people were arrested last week in Indian Kashmir.

Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar reiterated his government's position during a visit to Beijing on Monday after meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi.

The decision to withdraw Kashmir's special status of autonomy "does not constitute a new claim to sovereignty, does not change the cease-fire line between India and Pakistan, and does not change the current line of control border between India and China, "said Jaishankar.

But Wang warned that the controversial move would "change the status quo in Kashmir and provoke regional tensions." "China is against any unilateral action that complicates the situation," he added.

The Indian decision angered Pakistan. According to Pakistani officials, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan will visit Pakistan-controlled Kashmir this week as a sign of solidarity.

India and Pakistan fought two wars for the Himalayan region, which they divided after their independence in 1947.

© 2019 AFP