J&K assembly election: Security beefed up for PM Narendra Modi’s rally in Srinagar,Jammu Kashmir Third Phase polling Live updates,3rd phase of J&K Poll, jammu Kashmir assembly election 2014
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- Last Updated: Thursday, 22 January 2015 21:14
J&K assembly election: Security beefed up for PM Narendra Modi’s rally in Srinagar
As one of the deadliest day of the year in Jammu and Kashmir ended on Friday, Security agencies are on high alert for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first election rally in Srinagar on Monday following a string of militant strikes ahead of the third phase of staggered assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir.
Authorities have thrown a multi-tier security cordon around Sher-i-Kashmir stadium, the venue of the rally that lies just 10 km from the site of one of Friday's attacks which intelligence officials said were aimed at dissuading people from attending the rally. Checkpoints have also been set up across the city after the attacks that left 21 people dead as police said Modi's rally could have been on the radar of militants.
The stadium, where work is under way to host the rally, has already been made off limits to civilians and is being strictly guarded by police and paramilitary personnel.
The security arrangements have been intensified across the city as the Prime Minister is scheduled to visit the city and address a rally at the stadium on Monday. Sources said there would be a review of the arrangements after three attacks and encounters took place in the Kashmir region, including one on the city’s outskirts, in which a total of eight soldiers, three policemen and eight militants were killed.
"Adequate security arrangements are in place for the rally," said deputy inspector general of police Afadul Mujtaba. Modi said the militant strikes in Kashmir were an attack on Indian democracy. He earlier condemned the strikes as "desperate attempts" to derail the atmosphere of hope created by the high voter turnout in the first two phases of the election. "This is a shameless attack on India's democracy," he told an election rally in Jharkhand on Saturday. Kashmiris will vote amid tight security in the third phase of the assembly election on Tuesday after an over 70% turnout in the first two rounds in defiance of a poll boycott call by separatists.
Sources said the two militants killed near Soura locality on the city's outskirts on Friday afternoon were fidayeen, who were intercepted after a specific intelligence input. “The two militants were fidayeen and security forces were tracking them for the past several days. They were intercepted today before they could launch an attack,” a source said.
Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, Abdul Gani Mir said the two militants were aiming to carry out “some incident” in Srinagar. “There is the Prime Minister’s visit and I see it in that context,” Mir said.
Security forces have made an elaborate security arrangement in the city, which one official termed as “fool-proof”. “The entire city is under a complete security umbrella for the Prime Minister’s visit. We have intensified random checking and we have placed permanent check points. Night patrolling has also been intensified,” Inspector General, Operations, CRPF, Nalin Prabhat said.
Prabhat said “whatever force multipliers” are available would be put to use during the Prime Minister’s visit. A senior paramilitary official said raids on suspected localities would be intensified in the run-up to the high-profile rally.
src:hindustantimes,tribuneindia