Srinagar: Security forces have been put on high alert following heightened militant activities in the summer capital, Srinagar, and other parts of Kashmir valley ahead of Independence Day celebrations.
Security personnel were on Wednesday deployed in strength in Lal Chowk, the nerve centre of the summer capital, Jehangir Chowk, Hari Singh High Street (HSHS) and other parts of the city, where a journalist of a local news agency was arrested along with two grenades on Tuesday.
The deployment of more security personnel was done in the wake of a grenade attack in Hari Singh High Street market — few hundred metres from the city centre – in which ten people were injured.
Official sources said that said random checking of vehicles and frisking of people was being done as part of the security drill. ‘We have been directed to remain on high alert and randomly check vehicles, besides frisk people to foil any attempts by militants to carry out attacks,’ a soldier deployed in Lal Chowk said.
He said security forces have been randomly checking vehicles and checking the identification cards of the people onboard before allowing them to move forward.
Meanwhile, security forces have established checkpoint on the roads leading from different districts into Srinagar city. ‘Vehicles were being randomly checked before allowing them to enter Srinagar to prevent smuggling of weapons,’ sources said.
They said the presence of security forces around vital installations in and around the city as well as other district headquarters has been increased. ‘Security has also been strengthened around S K Cricket Stadium here where the main ID function in J&K would take place,’ they added.
A police spokesperson said that a journalist, identified as Adil Farooq Bhat, son of Farooq Ahmad Bhat, resident of Khrew Pampore, was arrested from Lal Chowk area of the civil lines along with two live hand grenades on Tuesday.
On Monday, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sarpanch and his panch wife from Redwani Kulgam were shot dead by militants in south Kashmir district of Anantnag. (UNI)
