The main city in occupied Kashmir is under a security lockdown to prevent protests during the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Police sharpshooters are stationed on the rooftops of all buildings near the cricket stadium in Srinagar where Modi is addressing a rally Saturday. The buildings are occupied by security troops. The streets are deserted, except for government troops in riot gear carrying automatic weapons.
Separatists have planned a rally Saturday near the site of Modi’s speech. Ahead of the visit, police detained separatist leaders and hundreds of their supporters to prevent the protest against Indian occupation of the disputed region.
Muslim-majority Kashmir is divided between Hindu-dominated India and Muslim-majority Pakistan, with both claiming the entire territory. Modi is scheduled to address a public rally in Srinagar on Saturday, where he is expected to announce economic assistance, more than a year after massive flooding inflicted $16 billion worth of damage across the territory. An armed campaign against Indian rule of the territory and the subsequent
crackdown by authorities since 1989 has left tens of thousands, mostly civilians, dead.
