Srinagar was one of the four places in Jammu and Kashmir where militants had launched an attack on Friday.
The Sher-e-Kashmir Cricket stadium in Srinagar, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to address a rally on Monday, has been turned into a fortress. Srinagar was one of the four places in Jammu and Kashmir where militants had launched an attack on Friday.
The death two militants, who were killed in an encounter at Soura, has averted a bigger tragedy. The two were planning to carry out a suicide attack in the city ahead of the PM's rally, said Inspector General of Police AG Mir, who was inspecting the security arrangements at the stadium.
Hundreds of security forces personnel - armed with metal detectors and accompanied by sniffer dogs - have been deployed in and around the stadium. Entry into the area has been restricted. Multiple checking points have been set up across the city.
The Prime Minister is visiting Srinagar in the wake of a record turnout in the first two of the five-phase assembly elections in the state. This would be the BJP's first rally in Srinagar, the heart of the Kashmir Valley.
PM Modi has chosen to address the rally from the spot which former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had used to reach out to people of Kashmir in 2003.
In his address, Mr Vajpayee had promised resolution of Kashmir issue within ambit humanity, democracy and Kashmiryat - thereby gaining himself a special place in the heart of Kashmiris.
The BJP is doing everything to ensure that the rally is a success. Since the party does not have a strong base in the Valley, arrangements have been made to bring in people from different parts of Kashmir. Thousands of supporters of the party's potential allies will also be attending the rally.
But away from the stadium, people in Lal Chowk - the heart of the city's business area - are indifferent. The talk is only of "hartaal" - the strike call given by separatist groups on Monday against the Prime Minister's visit.
The day after, Tuesday, the third of the five-phase assembly elections will be held, in which Uri and Tral - which have also been the sites of Friday's terror attacks - will be going to polls. But while people in Uri are determined to vote, spirits are not so high in Pulwama, where two sarpanches have recently been targeted by militants. Only one of them survived.