Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, June 30: Security has been put on high alert in Kashmir ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the State later this week as last year’s memories of audacious attack on an Army convoy ahead of former PM Manmohan Singh’s visit is still fresh in the minds of security agencies.
At least 8 Army personnel were killed and several others were injured on June 25 last year, a day before former PM Manmohan Singh’s visit to Srinagar on high security Hyderpora By-pass.
Sources said security agencies have apprehensions that militants might carry out attack during the PM’s visit as they did last year. “Police, Army and para-military forces have been asked to remain alert and patrolling in the sensitive areas has been intensified to put pressure on militants”, said sources.
Security sources said that although militants are under pressure since early this year as 41 of them including 11 top commanders of Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) were killed and 23 were arrested by security forces but they have the capability of carrying out an attack to show their presence.
Sources said that security forces are keeping a close eye on suspicious persons including suspected Over Ground Workers (OGWs) of various militant outfits.
The main vigil has been intensified along the Srinagar Bypass which has become a potential target of the militant attacks since 2013. Srinagar Bypass has vulnerable areas along Southern side where from militants have easy access for any hit and run attack. Sources said that these areas are also being sanitized.
Last year there have been over a half a dozen militant attacks on security forces on Srinagar Bypass including one on Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp in which 5 CRPF jawans were killed and another on an Army convoy in which 8 Army personnel were killed.
The vigil along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir has been also intensified as according to sources around 400 militants are waiting on the launch pads for infiltration. There was no infiltration attempt this year but on the eve of PM’s visit security forces don’t want to take chances.
PM is inaugurating 240 Mega Watt Uri Civil-II at Kalgi in North Kashmir’s Uri area near the LoC with Pakistan on July 4. The area is in the firing range of Pakistani artillery units and it has witnessed shelling from across the LoC before 2003 LoC ceasefire between India and Pakistan.
Prime Minister is also visiting 15 Corps headquarters of Army where he will be briefed about the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir and along the Line of Control and border with Pakistan and Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China. He is scheduled to have lunch at Rajbhawan before leaving for Uri for inauguration of Uri Civil-II.
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