Lal Chowk, which is once again in the political spotlight after being chosen by the BJP’s youth wing for hoisting the tricolour on January 26, witnessed worst traffic jams during the day on Monday as several neighbourhood streets and roads have been blocked for their close proximity with city’s Bakshi Stadium, the venue of official Republic Day celebrations.
By 6 pm, Srinagar’s central square and business hub, however, wore a deserted look except for hundreds of armed policemen and members of CRPF standing guard and their “bunker” vehicles criss-crossed the roads. More policemen were deployed along the side streets or have positioned themselves atop the adjacent buildings. Maisuma, a neighbourhood locality, also appears to the centre of attention for the security agencies. Apart from large contingents of gun and lathi-wielding policemen deployed in the congested area, dozens of plain clothesmen are keeping a round-the-clock close vigil on the movement of its residents and visitors. Maisuma is a JKLF bastion for its leader Muhammad Yasin Malik lives here and the party headquarters are also located next to his modest dwelling which was raided by police twice on Sunday.