Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Nov 5: The Core Group meeting of the security forces was held here today to discuss the security ahead of Prime Minister’s rally to be held at SK Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
The Core Group meeting was chaired by General Officer Commanding (GOC) 15 Corps, Lt General S K Dua and was attended by Inspector General of Police Kashmir, SJM Gillani, IG CID Abdul Gani Mir and various other top brass of para-military force officers and officers of other Central Intelligence agencies.
Sources said that in order to avoid any disruption of the rally by militants or separatists, the Core Group has decided that the mobile networks will be shut down on Saturday morning and will be resumed after the rally is over. The decision has been taken as part of security measure.
The security in entire Kashmir valley has been put on high alert to avoid any attempt to disrupt the rally and allow smooth movement of people from various parts of Kashmir valley to the venue of the rally.
Sources said that the meeting decided to set up joint control rooms and there will be total coordination among all the security agencies working in Kashmir.
The decision to set up joint control rooms has been taken to deal with threats effectively and quickly. The control rooms will pass on information to local Army and CRPF units deployed across Kashmir valley besides passing it on to police.
The local Army units will conduct patrolling in their respective areas round the clock so that militants or separatist are not allowed to target the people attending the rally.
Sources said that security agencies have been asked to take every threat seriously and ensure that the day passes off peacefully. Security agencies have inputs that militants may try to make attempts to strike on the eve of PM’ s rally to show their presence.
The security around all the important installations and security camps has been intensified and the security forces have been asked to remain alert round the clock.
The security forces are on high alert across Kashmir valley and nakas and barricades have been established at various places. The vehicles are being checked and peopled frisked.
Security forces were also conducting raids and surprise cordon and search operations at various places and were in a state of high alert.
The train services will be suspended and Jammu-Srinagar National Highway will be closed for traffic on Saturday as part of security measure. Only the vehicles that carry people to the rally will be allowed to ply on the roads and security forces will seal all roads for rest of the traffic.
The separatists, who had called for Million March on Saturday at Srinagar’s TRC ground, have been rounded up in raids conducted across Kashmir during past one week. So far around 125 separatists and their activists and over 100 stone pelters have been arrested by the Police.
Syed Ali Shah Geelani, the hardline separatist leader, who had called for Million March, is under house arrest along with moderate faction head of Hurriyat Conference, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. The JKLF chairman and several other leaders have already been arrested.
The venue of the PM rally has already been taken over by the security forces and SPGs. No one is being allowed to enter the Stadium.
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