Examiner Bureau | Jammu/Srinagar:
A comprehensive multi-layered security grid has been activated across Jammu and Kashmir ahead of the seventh anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, with security forces stepping up surveillance and preventive measures amid planned political protests and heightened vigilance across the Union Territory, officials said.
Police, the Army, the Border Security Force (BSF) and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) have intensified security operations from the International Border (IB) and the Line of Control (LoC) to the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44) and major urban centres.
Security personnel have increased vehicle checking, frisking, area domination patrols and surveillance, while additional deployments have been made at highways, district headquarters, markets, transit camps, public places and other sensitive installations.
Officials said several additional checkpoints have been established along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, where security forces are conducting thorough vehicle inspections while ensuring the smooth movement of traffic.
The BSF and the Army have heightened operational alertness along the border, while police and CAPF personnel have intensified patrolling in both urban and rural areas as part of an enhanced security strategy.
Quick Response Teams (QRTs), bomb disposal squads and anti-sabotage teams have also been deployed at vulnerable locations to strengthen the overall security framework and respond swiftly to any contingency.
The heightened security arrangements come as several political parties have announced protests in Jammu to mark the anniversary of the August 5, 2019, constitutional changes, when the Centre revoked the special status of the erstwhile state under Article 370 and Article 35A, and reorganised it into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
The National Conference (NC) has announced a protest outside its party headquarters in Jammu, while the Congress will stage a demonstration at Shaheedi Chowk, raising demands for the restoration of statehood and constitutional safeguards for land, jobs and natural resources. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has also announced a protest outside its Gandhi Nagar headquarters, seeking the restoration of Article 370.
National Conference Provincial President Rattan Lal Gupta described August 5 as one of the “darkest days” in the constitutional and democratic history of Jammu and Kashmir, alleging that the 2019 decisions were taken without the consent of the people.
He said the continued delay in restoring statehood had weakened democratic institutions and deprived Jammu and Kashmir of the constitutional powers enjoyed by full-fledged states. He urged the Union Government to honour its commitment to restore statehood.
The Congress said its protest would focus on the restoration of statehood and constitutional safeguards for land, jobs and natural resources, while the PDP said its demonstration would reiterate its demand for the restoration of Article 370.
Officials said security forces would remain on high alert throughout the Union Territory to ensure peaceful observance of the anniversary, maintain law and order, and prevent any untoward incidents.
On August 5, 2019, the Government of India abrogated Article 370 and Article 35A, ending the special constitutional status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. Parliament subsequently passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, bifurcating the state into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
