Security beefed up in Srinagar ahead of PM Modi's election rally

Srinagar: The area around the Sher-e-Kashmir park here has been put under a multi-layer security blanket ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election rally scheduled for Wednesday, a senior police official said.

This will be Modi’s first rally for BJP candidates in Kashmir before the assembly elections in the Union territory later this month.

“We have made a multi-tier security arrangement for the VVIP visit as per the Standard Operating Procedure laid down for such events,” Inspector General of Police (IGP) V K Birdi said on Tuesday.

The venue is within a kilometre from the iconic Lal Chowk clock tower.

Birdi said police have made adequate arrangements.

“We will be issuing regular travel advisories in order to ensure that the event is smooth and people face the least inconvenience,” he added.

Security personnel have been deployed in numbers along the roads leading to the venue of the PM’s rally, officials said.

They said police and paramilitary forces have intensified random checking of vehicles at dozens of places and special checkpoints have been set up.

Security forces have increased patrols around the venue as part of an area domination exercise.

This will be the prime minister’s third visit to the Kashmir valley this year. He addressed a rally at the Bakshi Stadium on March 7 and attended the International Yoga Day at the SKICC on June 21.