Amit Shah to address panchayat, BJP leaders on Day 3 of Jammu and Kashmir visit

Union home minister Amit Shah will address panchayat representatives and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in Srinagar on the third and last day of his visit to Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) on Monday.

He will also meet members of the civil society and attend a Central Reserve Police Force function in Pulwama.

Shah earlier returned to Srinagar on Sunday evening after addressing a rally in Jammu and visiting the India-Pakistan border. He interacted with Border Security Force jawans as well.

Security across Jammu and Kashmir had been enhanced, especially in Srinagar, in view of his visit. Security forces have stepped up checking and frisking. Some of the roads have been closed for traffic while three-tier security has been put in place in Srinagar.

Amit Shah on Sunday said the Centre aimed to wipe out terrorism from Jammu and Kashmir and put an end to the killing of civilians. He said nobody will be allowed to disrupt peace and development in the region.

Shah’s visit is his first to the region after the Centre revoked the erstwhile state’s semi-autonomous status and split it into two union territories in August 2019.

Amit Shah arrived in Srinagar on Saturday amid a spike in violence. A series of targeted killings has left 11 civilians dead this month.

On Sunday, paramilitary troopers allegedly shot dead Shahid Ahmad, a civilian, in Shopian. Ahmad’s family called his killing a “cold-blooded” murder even as police blamed him for snatching the rifle of a paramilitary trooper. It was the second such civilian killing this month.