Indian forces in occupied Kashmir arrested at least seven civilians during a pre-dawn crackdown at Arhama village of Shopian district, Kashmir Reader reported on Monday.

According to the report, a contingent of Indian forces, including police and the paramilitary forces, raided the village. The arrested civilians were shifted to Shopian police station.

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A local police officer, when contacted, said that the youth have been arrested “for questioning”. He refused to disclose further details.

The arrested civilians were identified as Ishaq Ittoo, 29, a government employee in the local health department; Mehrajuddin Mir, 34, shopkeeper; Arshid Lone, 24, shopkeeper; Shabir Kulley, 25 years, pursuing Masters Degree in Arts; Ghulam Nabi Mir, 55, a tailor master; Irfan Ittoo, 20, Driver; Fayaz Ahmad Mir, 49, an employee in the local revenue department.

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The arrests come in the backdrop of renewed unrest; on Sunday, a complete shutdown was observed in India-occupied Kashmir against the banning of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) by the Indian government.

New Delhi had announced a ban on the pro-independence group on Friday, as part of a crackdown on what it calls “separatist organisations”. A statement issued in Delhi said the Indian government had declared JKLF an “unlawful association” as it was trying to curb the activities of “secessionist organisations” posing a threat to the country’s unity and integrity.

The group’s leader, Yasin Malik, was arrested recently in a counteroffensive against dissent following a Feb 14 suicide attack that killed over 40 Indian soldiers in the disputed region. Over a thousand people have been arrested since then.

The call for a strike was given by the Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) comprising Syed Ali Gilani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik. All shops and other business establishments were shut in Srinagar and other cities of the valley.

Many groups have been fighting for the Himalayan region’s independence from India or its merger with Pakistan since 1989.

A 30-year insurgency in the region has left tens of thousands of people dead, mostly civilians.