India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Srinagar today to attend a rally in the main city of Indian-administered Kashmir, his first visit to the valley since the disputed region’s semi-autonomy was scrapped in 2019, reports Al-Jazeera.
The government led by Modi revoked the special constitutional status of the Muslim-majority territory, dividing the former state into two territories - Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir - both under direct rule from New Delhi. Protections on land and jobs previously granted to indigenous residents were also eliminated.
While the move received widespread support across India, it incited anger among many in the heavily militarised territory. Rebels in the Himalayan region have been engaged in a rebellion since 1989, seeking either independence or integration with Pakistan, which controls a smaller portion of the Kashmir region and, like India, claims it in its entirety.
On Thursday, thousands of armed police and paramilitary forces wearing flak jackets were deployed, and new checkpoints were established across Srinagar, the main city in Indian-administered Kashmir, where the Hindu nationalist leader is scheduled to address a public gathering at 2 pm local time.
The forces erected razor wire and checkpoints, conducting random frisks of residents and vehicle searches, while navy commandos patrolled the Jhelum river that flows through the city.
In a statement on the social media platform X before the visit, Modi mentioned that various development projects, including those aimed at boosting the agricultural economy and promoting tourism, would be inaugurated.
According to a government statement, Modi will also inaugurate infrastructure projects around the revered Muslim shrine of Hazratbal.
Thursday's event is viewed as part of Modi's campaign ahead of the national elections scheduled for April and May, the first since the region lost its autonomy. The last election for the region's legislative assembly was held in 2014.
Modi's government asserts that New Delhi's direct governance of Kashmir has ushered in a new era of "peace and development" in the region. However, critics and many residents argue that it has led to a significant curtailment of civil liberties and press freedom.
Most schools in the city are closed for the day, and government employees have been instructed to attend the rally.
Omar Abdullah, a former chief minister of Indian-administered Kashmir, accused the government of arranging buses to bring crowds to the rally, claiming that "almost none" would be attending voluntarily.
"Government employees are being rounded up at 5 am in sub-zero temperatures and transported to the PM's rally," Mehbooba Mufti, another former chief minister of the region, posted on X.
