Srinagar – Nov: City’s commercial hub Lal Chowk and its adjoining areas witnessed frisking of commuters, vehicles by Security forces amid recent civilian killings in the valley.Eyewitnesses said that Police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in large numbers descended on the City Centre area and cordoned off the market in Sarai Balla to conduct frisking of pedestrians and shopkeepers. They said that commuters and shopkeeper were lined up in a queue as forces personnel checked their identity cards.”In Chilling cold, cops were frisking pedestrians in Lal Chowk. They were demanding identity cards from the people, mainly youth and thoroughly checked their belongings,” Nazir Ahmad, a shopkeeper in Lal Chowk told .”Police and CRPF men carried out searches intermittently. Motorcyclists and those travelling in auto-rickshaws were being frisked for the whole day in Lal Chowk,” he said. The incident created panic in the area and people were seen inquiring from each other about the reason for sudden crackdown in the City Center.Another trader in Saria Balla area told that the way security personnel all of a sudden emerged here gave the thought about the presence of Militants in the area.Reports of frisking and random checking of vehicles were also received from several other parts of Srinagar. The vehicles entering into the City were also being checked at the entry points. The frisking and random checking of vehicles was being carried out at Jahangir Chowk, Lal Chowk, Hari Singh High Street, Budshah Chowk, Maisuma, Ganta Ghar, and other parts of the city. Sources confirmed to that the movement of people is also being monitored through close circuit cameras, installed at various places in the city.However, as per police sources it was a routine security drill. “The frisking is a part of routine security arrangements and drill,” they said. (CNS)
