Before speaking to the crowd at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) on Monday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is on a three-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir, had his bulletproof glass shield removed from the podium.
Amit Shah said he wanted to talk directly to the people of J&K after the shield was lifted. Amit Shah is visiting J&K for the first time since Article 370 was repealed in August 2019.
“I was mocked and condemned… I’d like to speak to you honestly today, which is why there’s no ballistic shield or security here… Farooq Sahab has proposed that I speak with Pakistan, but I will instead engage with the Valley’s youth and residents “Amit Shah was cited.
Amit Shah had earlier in the day performed prayers at the Kheer Bhawani temple in Jammu & Kashmir Ganderbal district. Amit Shah, dressed in a traditional Kashmiri pheran, offered prayers at Mata Ragnya Devi’s temple. Manoj Sinha, the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, accompanied him.
Amit Shah declared on Sunday that “Jammu and Kashmir are in PM Modi’s heart” and that Jammu would no longer be discriminated against. “The period for marginalizing the people of Jammu has come to an end. Kashmir and Jammu will now be developed in tandem,” Shah said at a rally in the Bhagwati Nagar region.
Amit Shah paid a visit to the family of police officer Parvaiz Ahmad, who was killed by militants in June of this year, after landing in J&K on Saturday. Amit Shah’s visit coincides with a wave of attacks in J&K against non-local workers. Eleven people have died in shootings aimed at civilians this month. At a meeting held at Raj Bhawan, Amit Shah discussed the security situation.