MADHOPUR/JAMMU/SRINAGAR/NEW DELHI: Tension escalated along the Jammu and Kashmir-Punjab border Tuesday as the Bharatiya Janta Party(BJP) began a rally at the Madhopur bridge separating the two states, ignoring a call by home minister P. Chidambaram to abandon the march to Srinagar to hoist the national flag on Republic Day.
Among those expected to address the rally, signalling the determination to go ahead with the plan to unfurl the tricolour at Srinagar's city centre Lal Chowk on Republic Day Wednesday, were top BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and Ananth Kumar.
The leaders were brought to Madhopur in Punjab on Monday night by Jammu and Kashmir police from Jammu, where they were detained when they arrived at the airport.
The Lakhanpur barrier-Madhopur bridge area, on the border between Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, resembled a battle-zone on Tuesday morning with hundreds of armed security personnel being deployed.
Armoured vehicles, water-cannon trucks, teargas equipment and riot-control vehicles and personnel were stationed to thwart any attempt by the BJP leaders and activists to enter Jammu and Kashmir. Wired fencing was put up all across the bridge to prevent anyone from crossing it.
Madhopur police have, however, allowed the vehicle 'rath' of BJP leader Anurag Thakur to be parked beyond barricades which will be accompany the bjp workers while their leaders are addressing the rally. Forty members of the core group will walk ahead of the vehicle while another five hundred will walk behind on the way to Srinagar.
Among those expected to address the rally, signalling the determination to go ahead with the plan to unfurl the tricolour at Srinagar's city centre Lal Chowk on Republic Day Wednesday, were top BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and Ananth Kumar.
The leaders were brought to Madhopur in Punjab on Monday night by Jammu and Kashmir police from Jammu, where they were detained when they arrived at the airport.
The Lakhanpur barrier-Madhopur bridge area, on the border between Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, resembled a battle-zone on Tuesday morning with hundreds of armed security personnel being deployed.
Armoured vehicles, water-cannon trucks, teargas equipment and riot-control vehicles and personnel were stationed to thwart any attempt by the BJP leaders and activists to enter Jammu and Kashmir. Wired fencing was put up all across the bridge to prevent anyone from crossing it.
Madhopur police have, however, allowed the vehicle 'rath' of BJP leader Anurag Thakur to be parked beyond barricades which will be accompany the bjp workers while their leaders are addressing the rally. Forty members of the core group will walk ahead of the vehicle while another five hundred will walk behind on the way to Srinagar.
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