Yogesh Sagotra
Jammu, Oct 21: Union home minister Amit Shah will arrive in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday for a three-day visit to chair security review meetings, address panchayat members as well as political workers amid a wave of targeted attacks that left 11 civilians dead in Kashmir.
This will be Shah’s first visit to J&K since the nullification of the Constitution’s Article 370 in August 2019. Shah’s visit comes in the backdrop of the civilian killings including of five non-local labourers.
Briefing about the programmes of Union Home Minister, BJP’s General Secretary Sunil Sharma said Shah will arrive in Srinagar first and then travel to Jammu.
He said they have called their district presidents for one of Shah’s events.
“(The) home minister will also attend a public rally in Jammu,” he said.
BJP’s Jammu west unit also held a meeting to review arrangements of Shah’s visit, who is scheduled to address public at Newa Bhagwati Nagar.
Speaking on the occasion, BJP leader Sat Sharma said that it is an honor for them to have Home Minister Amit Shah in Jammu West Constituency with whose efforts Article 370 was removed.
He said after the abrogation of the Article it is his first visit to Jammu and people are excited and waiting to see the great leader who has also played a major role in finishing terrorism from Jammu and Kashmir. “People in large numbers will attend the rally which will be held at Bhagwati Nagar on 24 October and he also appealed to the masses to reach the spot to make the rally a big success,” Sharma said. He also said “our activists have reached individual households and till now thousands from Jammu West have given their consent to attend the rally and the number will surely increase on the day of the rally.”
Meanwhile, security arrangements have been tightened across the Jammu and Srinagar cities as security forces have enhanced checking and frisking in.
The main rally venue has been sealed and people are not allowed to venture there.
Shah’s visit is part of the Centre’s continuing outreach campaign, is also expected to review the implementation of development schemes.
Sources said that Shah last month held a review meeting on J&K with lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha and senior security officials and also reviewed development initiatives implemented there.
In June, Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited J&K leaders, including former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, for a meeting at his residence in Delhi. The leaders demanded the restoration of the special status of J&K at the meeting. Sources said that Shah will also arrive in Srinagar and is likely to chair the security meeting to review the anti-militancy operations and overall security scenario in Srinagar.
