Lok Sabha elections 2024: Security stepped up in Udhampur ahead of PM Modi's rally; flying of drones prohibited

Jammu: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to hit the campaign trail in Udhampur on Friday as a star campaigner for Union Minister Jitendra Singh, prompting the authorities to activate multi-tier security setup, including ban on flying of drones.

Singh is seeking re-election for the third consecutive time from Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur Lok Sabha seat in the first phase of the elections.

Prime Minister Modi will be addressing a huge rally in Udhampur on Friday, with the security agencies having issued advisories and Standard Operating Procedures (SoP) for people attending the rally and for the security personnel in view of the threat perception.

Modi will arrive in Udhampur on Friday morning to address a huge rally in Batal Ballian area, officials said.

A multi-tier security arrangement has been put in place for the safe and secure conduct of the rally, they said. This includes elaborate deployments, area domination, checkpoints and alertness in areas and vigilance on vital installations in the region by various security agencies.

The officials said the security personnel have been put on duty along the Jammu-Udhampur highway and vital junctions amid setting up of additional checkpoints to monitor the commuters.

Frisking has been intensified at major spots on the highway, they added.

Udhampur District Magistrate Saloni Rai on Thursday issued an order prohibiting the flying of any kind of aviation devices, including Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and drones, in the district.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Udhampur to address a public meeting tomorrow and various necessary arrangements are being undertaken by the administration as per the SoP for the safe and secure conduct of the rally," Rai said in the order.

"In view of the emerging security threats due to the recent trends of using drones as improvised explosive devices (IEDs) by the anti-national elements, it is imperative to strengthen security measures to maintain law and order," she added.

The district magistrate said the Udhampur senior superintendent of police shall ensure the implementation of this order to prohibit the flying of any kind of aviation devices.

Senior Superintendent of Police, Security, Shamsheer Hussain, also issued an advisory for people to arrive on time for smooth entry before the start of the programme before 10 am.

This is Prime Minister Modi's third visit to Jammu and Kashmir in over one and a half months. He addressed big rallies while inaugurating several development projects on February 20 and March 7 in Jammu and Srinagar cities.

Four years after its revocation, Article 370 has taken center stage in the poll campaign in Jammu and Kashmir, more so in the Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency where Union Minister Jitendra Singh is seeking re-election for the third time.

The seat is seeing a triangular fight with the Congress fielding Choudhary Lal Singh and the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) pitting three-time ex-MLA G M Saroori against the senior BJP leader.

Polling in the Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency will be held in the first of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections on April 19.

Jitendra Singh had retained the Udhampur Lok Sabha seat in 2019, defeating Congress candidate Vikramaditya Singh, the grandson of erstwhile Maharaja Hari Singh, by a margin of 3,53,272 votes. Lal Singh only got 19,049 votes.

In 2014, he had defeated former Union minister Ghulam Nabi Azad by a margin of 60,976 votes.