Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday proposed to scrap Article 370 of the Constitution which gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir and said the state will be split into two Union Territories: Jammu and Kashmir with an Assembly and Ladakh without one.
With Indian flag in their hands, some of the students termed the occasion as the collapse of the wall of hatred that Article 370 had erected.
Celebrations also broke out in other states, including Telangana where people reportedly came out in the open to burst crackers to mark the occasion.
However, amid apprehensions of an adverse reaction from Pakistan, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday prohibited any kind of celebration or protest that could vitiate the atmosphere in the border state.
With tension escalating at the border, the Chief Minister directed the state police to be prepared to thwart any attempts by Pakistan to create disturbance in Punjab.
Amarinder Singh also ordered increased security for the 8,000-odd Kashmiri students in the state, and directed the Superintendents of Police and the Deputy Commissioners to meet them and talk to them personally.
Meanwhile, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is expected to visit Jammu and Kashmir to take stock of the security situation even as all the three services are on high alert to deal with any fallout of the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories.
( With inputs from IANS )