Amit Shah’s High-Stakes Visit: Tensions Rise as He Assesses Ground Situation in J&K
Jammu(The Uttam Hindu): Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday and meet the families of the policemen who died in a recent encounter with terrorists. The Union Home Minister will visit a forward post along the India-Pakistan border and review the security situation and development initiatives during his tour. He will fly to Srinagar in the afternoon.
Officials said police and security forces have been put on high alert in view of HM Shah’s visit. The home minister will visit the BSF Border Outpost Vinay in Kathua and assess the ground situation there. HM Shah is also scheduled to meet the family members of the martyrs of the Jammu and Kashmir Police at the Raj Bhavan in Jammu and give appointment letters to some of them selected on compassionate grounds. On April 8, Shah will first take stock of various development programmes in the union territory (UT) at a meeting to be held at the Raj Bhawan in Srinagar.
Subsequently, he will attend another meeting at the Raj Bhavan, where the security situation in the UT will be reviewed. He will also visit the family of Deputy Superintendent of Police Humayun Bhat in Srinagar. The officer died on September 13, 2023, while fighting terrorists in the Kokernag area of the Anantnag district. The home minister will review various developmental projects during his stay in Srinagar. He had a nearly two-hour long meeting with the BJP MLAs at the Trikuta Nagar headquarters of the party in Jammu Sunday evening.
He said the situation would soon be normal in Jammu as the security forces were on the job. He repeated that the stand on statehood is clear, and it would be restored at the appropriate time. This is Amit Shah's first visit to J&K after an elected government took office in October last year. Security across Srinagar city and the rest of the Valley has been heightened ahead of the Union Home Minister’s visit to Kashmir Valley. In Srinagar, city roads are being closely monitored, and additional checkpoints have been established. The checking of people has been intensified at multiple points while drone surveillance is being carried out around vital installations and strategic locations to ensure foolproof security.
Security forces have been put on high alert, with joint patrols of police and paramilitary personnel deployed at sensitive areas across the Valley, particularly around venues expected to host high-level meetings or events during Shah’s visit. Authorities have also increased night patrolling and are using electronic surveillance to track any suspicious activity. After a nightlong stay at the Raj Bhawan in Srinagar, Amit Shah will return to New Delhi on April 8.
