HM Amit Shah attends Shikara Festival in Srinagar, has dinner with CRPF personnel

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on Monday, October 25, attended the Shikara Festival at the Dal Lake in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. Manoj Sinha, the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, and Union Minister Jitendra Singh were also present at the event. The Union Home Minister, who is in the Union Territory for the first time since Article 370 was repealed in August 2019, performed prayers at the Kheer Bhawani Durga temple in Ganderbal district earlier on Monday.

Notably, the Shikara Festival celebrated at Srinagar's Dal Lake incorporates native cultural activities as well as adventurous and exhilarating events like Kayaking. The celebrations are generally capped off with Sufi music played in all Shikaras.

News agency ANI posted a video of the event on Twitter with caption, "J&K: Cultural event underway at Dal Lake in Srinagar during Shikara Festival. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, Union Minister Jitendra Singh and other dignitaries are present here."

In a subsequent tweet, ANI posted pictures of Union Minister and J&K L-G Manoj Sinha having dinner with CRPF Jawans at Lethpora camp, Pulwama. The tweet also announced that HM Shah will spend the night at the camp. The caption read, "J&K: Union Home Minister Amit Shah and LG Manoj Sinha had dinner with CRPF personnel at a camp in Lethpora, Pulwama. The Home Minister will stay at the camp tonight."

'You will see the fruits of our efforts by 2024': Amit Shah

In 2019, Article 370, which granted Jammu and Kashmir special status, was repealed, and the state was divided into two union territories: Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Article 370 was removed, according to the Home Minister, with the goal of placing Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh on a development track. He said, "You will see the fruits of our efforts by 2024." It should be mentioned here that Shah's visit coincides with a series of terrorist attacks on civilians in Jammu and Kashmir, which has caused anxiety in the valley.

(With inputs from ANI, Image: PTI/ANI)