Srinagar
Aug 15, 2006:
 |
| Chief Minister Azad |
A 'human bomb' scare disrupted celebrations of Indian Independence Day partially in Indian administered Kashmir here today.
The government organised celebrations at the Bakshi Stadium in summer capital Srinagar went off-color with
rumours that a Fidayeen (suicide bomber) was present among the people, who
would blow himself up along with chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, sources said.
The rumour of suicide bomber created a panicky situation for the security officials.
However without pressing the panic button the security officials drove off Chief Minister Azad from the venue.
They first
took out the chief minister's dummy car and then silently got the CM out
of the "danger zone", the sources said.
The function was however cut short by an hour and the spectators, mostly
families of officials, had
to return disappointed without seeing the "dare devil show", one of the main attraction at the function every year.
In the "dare devil show" police personnel display acrobatic skills and
dangerously ride their motorbikes through rings of fire. Other
cultural programmes, which had to follow, were also cancelled.
Director General of Police, Jammu and Kashmir Gopal Sharma however denied any bomb scare and said the function went according to schedule.
The function was organised amid heavy security deployments in the Valley. Mobile services were suspended in the morning as a security measure and resumed only in the afternoon after the function was over.
Normal Life was paralysed by the heavy security deployments and a shutdown call by separatists who asked people to observe August 15 as a "black day".
Locals alleged they were harassed on the pretext of the security arrangements weeks ahead of the event.
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