Srinagar, Jan 26: The clock has struck seven in the evening. The chill has intensified. A group of policemen hurdle around bonfire, discussing the tough hours gone by. However, their job is not done. The uneasy clam prevails on the Ground Zero-Clock Tower—where life has ceased to exist for the past 2-days.
“The restriction will continue till tomorrow morning,” a senior police official explained as he instructs his subordinate to lay concertina wire enroute the Tower at a distance.
“The siege has been shrunken. We will guard all the nearby routes to the tower. It is all fine up to now. But the tension is running high after some instances of flag hoisting were reported from nearby areas,” the official measures his words cautiously.
The commercial hub was fortified on January 25 to prevent BJP activists and JKLF supporters from carrying on with their already announced flag hoisting program.
This morning the siege was intensified and all the routes—Amira Kadal, Moulana Azad Road and Residency Road were sealed to thwart any flag hoisting attempt. Even any kind of movement- vehicular or human--was not allowed on the outer circle of roads leading to Lal Chowk.
On the ground zero, a contingent of police and CRPF personnel, wearing riot gears and brandishing weaponry, had cordoned off the pedestal of the tower, to ensure zero security lapse.
The lifeless tower had once again become center of attention after 1992 when the then BJP president Murli Manohar Joshi had hoisted the flag on the Ghanta Ghar, which has gained major political significance for both mainstream and separatists politicians.
“The tower is witness to tumultuous political period of Kashmir history. It has always given people a sense of victory on both sides,” a resident, Mubarik Ahmad said. “So unfurling any flag on the pedestal of Clock Tower is significant. It symbolizes the political aspirations of people. And yes, I am so delighted whenever I have been the part of bare-chest crowd while they raised the Azadi flag on the tower for past three consecutive years”.
However, on this Jan 26, the authorities have formulated a different plan to stop flag hoisting. “From January 24 onwards, a police contingent was specially instructed to keep 24-hour vigil on the tower,” a police officer said. “It was decided after six BJP activists were arrested as they attempted to hoist tricolor on the tower”.
In the wake of mounting tension after BJP rally reached Lakhanpur Bridge over Tawi river- which connects Punjab with Jammu region of the state, the authorities re-formulated their deployment plans for Srinagar.
Estimated 10,000 police and CRPF personnel were deployed in the city to prevent both the BJP and JKLF from executing their respective programme.
Though in the battle of the ideologies, the government this time ensured to execute its program successfully, the Clock Tower would continue to symbolize the political aspirations.
“The restriction will continue till tomorrow morning,” a senior police official explained as he instructs his subordinate to lay concertina wire enroute the Tower at a distance.
“The siege has been shrunken. We will guard all the nearby routes to the tower. It is all fine up to now. But the tension is running high after some instances of flag hoisting were reported from nearby areas,” the official measures his words cautiously.
The commercial hub was fortified on January 25 to prevent BJP activists and JKLF supporters from carrying on with their already announced flag hoisting program.
This morning the siege was intensified and all the routes—Amira Kadal, Moulana Azad Road and Residency Road were sealed to thwart any flag hoisting attempt. Even any kind of movement- vehicular or human--was not allowed on the outer circle of roads leading to Lal Chowk.
On the ground zero, a contingent of police and CRPF personnel, wearing riot gears and brandishing weaponry, had cordoned off the pedestal of the tower, to ensure zero security lapse.
The lifeless tower had once again become center of attention after 1992 when the then BJP president Murli Manohar Joshi had hoisted the flag on the Ghanta Ghar, which has gained major political significance for both mainstream and separatists politicians.
“The tower is witness to tumultuous political period of Kashmir history. It has always given people a sense of victory on both sides,” a resident, Mubarik Ahmad said. “So unfurling any flag on the pedestal of Clock Tower is significant. It symbolizes the political aspirations of people. And yes, I am so delighted whenever I have been the part of bare-chest crowd while they raised the Azadi flag on the tower for past three consecutive years”.
However, on this Jan 26, the authorities have formulated a different plan to stop flag hoisting. “From January 24 onwards, a police contingent was specially instructed to keep 24-hour vigil on the tower,” a police officer said. “It was decided after six BJP activists were arrested as they attempted to hoist tricolor on the tower”.
In the wake of mounting tension after BJP rally reached Lakhanpur Bridge over Tawi river- which connects Punjab with Jammu region of the state, the authorities re-formulated their deployment plans for Srinagar.
Estimated 10,000 police and CRPF personnel were deployed in the city to prevent both the BJP and JKLF from executing their respective programme.
Though in the battle of the ideologies, the government this time ensured to execute its program successfully, the Clock Tower would continue to symbolize the political aspirations.
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