Strict restrictions, clampdown imposed ahead of India’s I-Day in Kashmir
Srinagar: In the run-up to India’s Independence Day, the authorities in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir have turned the territory into a military garrison, imposing strict restrictions and laying out a multi-tier security grid to prevent anti-India protests and resistance activities.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Zone, V.K. Birdi, told reporters in Srinagar that special arrangements had been put in place at “sensitive locations” to ensure August 15 functions pass off without incident. He said military drills and full-dress rehearsals had already been conducted in the city.
Residents of Srinagar and other parts of the valley have reported intensified frisking, checkpoints, and barricades, severely hampering their movement. Paramilitary forces and police personnel have been deployed in large numbers, while surveillance has been heightened across public spaces.
Birdi confirmed that the clampdown is being enforced in close coordination with Indian paramilitary forces, leaving no room for free public movement in the name of “peaceful celebrations.”
Local people and rights groups say such measures reflect the deep insecurity of the Indian state in the occupied territory, where August 15 is observed as a black day to reject India’s illegal occupation.
