Srinagar, Apr 07: Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Kashmir on Monday evening as part of his first visit to Kashmir since the Union Territory came under an elected government in October last year. He was received at the Srinagar International Airport by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
Shah, who began his two-day tour from Jammu on Sunday, drove straight to the residence of slain Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) Humayun Muzamil Bhat after landing in Srinagar. DySP Bhat, the son of a retired Inspector General of Police, was killed in an encounter with terrorists in South Kashmir’s Kokernag area in September 2023.
Accompanied by CM Omar, his advisor Nasir Aslam Wani. and senior officials, the Home Minister Amit Shah offered condolences to the bereaved family, spent nearly 20 minutes with the slain police officer’s father, retired IGP Ghulam Hassan Bhat.
Posthumously awarded Kirti Chakra, Bhat was among four security personnel who died in the line of duty while battling terrorists in the dense forests surrounding Gadool village of Kokernag in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district in September 2023.
Following the visit, HM Shah proceeded to Raj Bhavan where he is staying during his Srinagar leg of the trip.
During his visit, Shah is expected to chair a high-level security review meeting and assess the progress of key developmental projects in the Valley. He is also scheduled to hold separate meetings with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
Meanwhile, security was tightened across Srinagar ahead of the Home Minister’s arrival. A three-tier security grid was deployed, with a heavy presence of J&K Police and paramilitary forces across key points in the city. Multiple checkpoints were set up, and traffic movement was closely regulated.
The Union home minister will review the security situation in Kashmir in a meeting with top security forces and police officers on Tuesday. He will also review the developmental projects underway in the Valley in a separate meeting.
