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On the eve of Independence Day, a security blanket was thrown around Srinagar and other major cities of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday.
Tension gripped Srinagar, the state capital, as troops took positions and sealed all roads leading to the Bakshi Stadium where Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah will unfurl the tricolour and take salute on August 15.
It is not unusual for tensions to get heightened in the state around August 15. This year, however, with police saying that a group of forty terrorists has sneaked into Srinagar city, extraordinary security drills are being held to thwart surprise attacks.
Most of Srinagar's marketplaces, roads and business establishments wore a deserted look on Wednesday evening. Shoppers, schoolchildren and others returned home early and traffic was also thin.
Cars and jeeps lined up as checkposts and dropgates were erected in the city and around the Bakshi Stadium.
Paramilitary forces have taken over all high-rise buildings around the stadium, which will have a three-tier security. The troops have installed bunkers on rooftops to keep a close watch on the stadium. Commandos have also been deployed inside the stadium.
The Border Security Force, according to intelligence sources, has "sanitised and is dominating" Srinagar.
The separatist All Parties Hurriyat Conference has called for a general strike on Thursday. Various militant groups have asked the people to observe the day as "black day".
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