As the 18th Lok Sabha elections in India are just around the corner, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been visiting various states to unveil development programmes as well as to address public rallies as part of his election campaign. In this context, Prime Minister Modi also decided to visit Srinagar in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK) on 7 March 2024. This was also Mr. Modi’s first visit to Srinagar since the revocation of Articles 370 and 35A in August 2019.
Preparations for the Visit
No matter how forcefully India tries to convince the world that Modi’s policies have brought peace and security to IIOJK, the security preparations for any high profile visit simply debunk all such tall claims. In this case also, prior to the visit, strict security arrangements were put in place. Drone surveillance was increased and the number of check posts and barricades was increased.[1] Ordinary commuters were frisked and sniffer dogs used to detect any banned substances.[2] Srinagar city was declared a ‘Temporary Red Zone’[3] for the operation of drones and quadcopters as prescribed in the provisions of Rule 24(2) of Drone Rules, 2021.[4] Violators were warned of strict action as per relevant laws. All entry and exit points of the venue were regularly checked by the Bomb Disposal Squads (BDS) along with sniffer dogs to foil any IED attack.
