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| No flag-hoisting in Lal Chowk after 19 years |
| Press Trust Of India / Srinagar Jan 27, 2010, 00:22 IST |
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The national flag was not hoisted by security forces in Lal Chowk, the nerve centre of Srinagar, on the Republic Day today for the first time in 19 years.
The usual hustle and bustle was not there in the heart of the city, as people preferred to remain indoors in view of strike call given by separatists as well as tight security measures.
No official reason was cited for not hoisting the national flag in Lal Chowk, which recently saw a 22-hour terrorist siege.The tricolour used to be unfurled on the clock tower, popularly known here as Ghantaghar , in Lal Chowk on the Republic Day and Independence Day since 1991.
The first time the flag was hoisted at the clock tower was in 1991 when the then BJP President Murli Manohar Joshi did it amidst rocket attacks by militants. Last evening, security restrictions were eased in the city to lessen inconvenience. Police and paramilitary forces remained deployed in strength.
“We have not lowered the guard, but several steps have been taken to avoid unnecessary harassment of the people. Instead of random checking at every half a km in the city, the vehicles were searched at a few places particularly at the entry points,” officials said yesterday.
Another ceasefire violation by Pak
In yet another ceasefire violation, Pakistani troops today opened fire at Kanachak sub-sector of Jammu district and the Border Security Force (BSF) retaliated leading to a heavy exchange of fire between the two sides.The ceasefire violation came as the country celebrated Republic Day. The BSF also foiled infiltration bids by militants in the area. The cross border firing started around 0200 hours even as a group of militants entered the Ulfa Machail border outpost along the International Border.
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