I-Day Live: Security beefed up in sensitive zones ahead of celebrations
Security has been heightened in Manipur as some Imphal valley-based banned organisations have called for a strike on August 15
Security arrangements have been beefed up across the country ahead of Independence Day celebrations on Tuesday (August 15).
A Border Security Force (BSF) jawan posted along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district sent a heartfelt message to the nation: “Our fellow citizens can celebrate Independence Day without any worry, as we are here to guard the borders.”
Constable Sanjeev Kumar Rai said the BSF troopers guarding the Line of Control have to step up vigilance, as inimical forces have evil designs to create disturbance on the eve of Independence Day.
“While the nation prepares to celebrate Independence Day, our enemy also plans how to create disturbances here. To tackle their designs, we get orders from the high command for upping the vigil along the Line of Control and the border by way of patrolling and area-domination exercises. We try our best to live up to the expectations,” Rai said.
He said the jawans posted along the LoC have to exhibit a level of alertness higher than the usual borders due to tough terrain. “We have to increase the alertness because this is an area of dense vegetation where one cannot be sure of the identity of a person even at a short distance of 50 metres. The dangers at the LoC are anyway more compared to normal borders,” he added.
Security has been heightened in the strife-torn Manipur, too, ahead of I-Day celebrations. Some Imphal valley-based banned organisations have called for a strike on August 15, officials said. Security forces also conducted search operations in vulnerable areas of five districts and recovered arms and ammunition, the police said.
Preparations for the I-Day celebrations are in full swing across the state with BSF, police and Assam Refiles personnel and students joining rehearsals for march past to be held on August 15.
(With agency inputs)Live Updates
14 Aug 2023 1:46 PM GMTOwaisi's appeal to PM Modi on Independence Day Eve
AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi expressed hope that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would condemn the demolition drive in Haryana's Nuh and the alleged targetted violence, during his Independence Day speech in the national capital on August 15.
Addressing reporters in Hyderabad, Owaisi said on one hand, bulldozers were being used against Muslims, and on the other his house in Delhi came under attack.
“The Prime Minister should condemn demolition in Nuh. If PM Modi has some love for Indian Muslims then I expect him to condemn the targeted violence from the Red Fort tomorrow. We expect the Prime Minister to condemn the way one religion is being targetted, the violence and be it violence in Nuh," the Hyderabad MP said.
According to him, “collective punishment” was given to one community through demolition.
"We condemn the violence, but you are giving collective punishment to one community," Owaisi said and sought to know "where has Prime Minister's 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas' gone? Referring to the demolition drive in different states, the AIMIM chief said bulldozer was used in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.
"Are there no courts or laws in this country? Will due process be followed or not?" he asked. This is violation of Supreme Court order in the Jahangirpuri case where it said due process (of law) should be followed, he recalled.
Seeking to know why three bills to replace colonial-era CrPC, IPC and Evidence Act were introduced in Parliament, the AIMIM chief said, "Tomorrow we are celebrating Independence Day. I hope that the Prime Minister will take note of this and he will give a strong message on August 15 because this would be his last speech before elections."
To a query on the alleged attack on his Delhi residence, he said: "On one had bulldozers were used to demolish buildings belonging to Muslims in Nuh and perhaps we are waiting for a bulldozer to come to our house also... Whenever I deliver an important speech in the Parliament these people pelt stones... I am a four-time MP and stones are hurled at my house." Owaisi further said he also received a threatening SMS from an unknown person following which a complaint was lodged with the police."
In the last nine years of BJP rule, an atmosphere of fear and insecurity has been created for people to live in, he alleged.
- 14 Aug 2023 12:50 PM GMT
Prasar Bharati deploys 41 cameras, including five robotic, for live coverage
Prasar Bharati has deployed 41 cameras, including five robotic cameras, for live coverage of the 77th Independence Day celebrations that will begin with Prime Minister Narendra Modi unfurling the national flag at the ramparts of the Red Fort on Tuesday.
Prasar Bharati, the public broadcaster, said 36 cameras had been installed on the Red Fort premises from where the Prime Minister will address the nation on Tuesday morning. The Independence Day celebrations will be telecast on Doordarshan and its regional channels and the national channels of All India Radio. Five cameras have been deployed at Rajghat, where the Prime Minister will pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi.
The intricate setup also has in addition two 360-degree view cameras, four cameras have been mounted on Jimmy Jibs and one on a scissor crane to give dynamic camera angles to the event, an official statement said.
- 14 Aug 2023 11:49 AM GMT
Massive Tiranga Rally held in Shopian
#WATCH | Massive Tiranga Rally held in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian ahead of Independence Day. pic.twitter.com/ICGb3qdzKL
— ANI (@ANI) August 14, 2023 - 14 Aug 2023 11:47 AM GMT
Dynamic lighting at Raisina Hills
#WATCH | Dynamic lighting at Raisina Hills in Delhi, ahead of Independence Day pic.twitter.com/mR7P3t89iz
— ANI (@ANI) August 13, 2023 - 14 Aug 2023 11:46 AM GMT
Full dress rehearsal at Red Fort
#WATCH | Full dress rehearsal of different armed forces underway at Red Fort in Delhi, ahead of Independence Day. pic.twitter.com/KWDevSb5nq
— ANI (@ANI) August 13, 2023
