The Bakshi stadium in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar saw a huge rush for the Independence Day celebrations today.
Videos showed long ques of people outside the stadium. Some people were seen waving the Tricolour at Srinagar's iconic Lal Chowk.
There were no restrictions for the citizens for the big event, officials said. There were also no internet curbs today, which used to be a norm on Independence Day in Kashmir.
Bakshi Stadium hosted the Independence Day function after a gap of five years following a closure in 2018 for renovations.
Government employees also attended the event that was addressed by Manoj Sinha, the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir. The administration had made it mandatory for government officials and employees to attend the Independence Day function.
Since the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, the Lieutenant Governor appointed by the Centre is the chief guest at these functions.
Speaking to NDTV, Manoj Sinha had yesterday said that the scrapping of special status of the erstwhile state and moving it to mainstream has brought about a host of positive changes over the last four years.
"It was a clear message sent to people of Jammu and Kashmir" that raising questions on "unity and integrity of India won't be tolerated," he said during a conversation with NDTV's Editor-in-Chief Sanjay Pugalia.
In Jammu, Lieutenant Governor's advisor, Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, unfurled the national flag at the Independence Day event.
Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed the rise of a new era in the last four years which promises harmony, development and affluence, Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, the advisor to the Lieutenant Governor said on Tuesday," Mr Bhatnagar said.
In the run-up to the Independence Day celebrations, Tiranga rallies were taken out in various parts of state yesterday. All the government offices and other buildings were lit up in Tricolour theme.
Besides Srinagar and Jammu,security had been tightened in other parts of Jammu and Kashmir as well, especially at various points along the highways.
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