Security forces deployed two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) into action to monitor the safety at the rally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi held here on Saturday.
These were deployed besides at least 30,000 police and paramilitary personnel throughout Jammu and Kashmir, particularly here, to ensure that the PM’s visit was “incident-free”, sources told Deccan Herald.
It was for the first time that such a massive deployment had been made in the Valley during the visit of a prime minister.
A senior police officer said the ‘Million March’ called by hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Geelani to counter Modi’s rally at S K Stadium here was the reason behind the thick deployment of forces.
No flag zone
He said no party flag or banner or a placard was allowed inside the SK Stadium—which was under the control of the Special Protection Group—to “avoid any flag controversy.”
All roads leading to the SK Stadium were sealed with concertina wire and iron barricades and declared out of bounds for the common people.
Only people who had special security passes were allowed to move towards the rally venue after thorough frisking at multiple places. Meanwhile, thousands of people, most of them party workers and supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party, were brought to the venue in buses under tight security.
More than 200 separatist leaders and activists had been detained ahead of Modi’s visit to Srinagar.
Mobile Internet services were also blocked as a “precautionary security measure” in view of the rally.
Meanwhile, Independent legislator Engineer Rashid was detained in Srinagar in the morning for holding a black-balloon protest near the venue.
Published 07 November 2015, 19:14 IST