New Delhi, August 9: Village heads of all gram panchayats in Jammu and Kashmir will hoist the tricolour on Independence Day, August 15. Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy, at a press conference on Friday, said village heads of all gram panchayats have been advised to unfurl the national flag on Independence Day, which will be celebrated days after the Centre scrapped the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370.

There had been reports that the Centre's decision to deploy more troops was aimed at providing security cover for the move to hoist the national flag in every panchayat this Independence Day. "The government is infusing troops as many panchayat heads want to hoist the national flag this Independence Day. This deployment is being done to ensure no disruption to the process and avoid any untoward incident," government sources were quoted as saying. Jammu: Section 144 Withdrawn, Educational Institutes to Open Tomorrow.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has reportedly instructed all its units in every panchayat of Jammu and Kashmir to hoist the tricolour on August 15. President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday signed an order ending the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370, a day after Parliament passed the resolution, along with a bill to bifurcate the state into two Union Territories. Modi Govt Eases Prohibitory Orders in Valley for Friday Prayers.

Ahead of the decision, the Centre deployed additional forces in Jammu and Kashmir and on Sunday imposed prohibitory orders. On Friday, prohibitory orders in Kashmir were eased for Friday prayers. The historic Jama Masjid, however, was shut. Meanwhile, normalcy is returning in the Jammu region, according to government officials.

"We are facilitating the people, making arrangements for their travel and regulating the situation. Normalcy is returning to the Jammu province. Phone services have been restored, if normalcy continues, internet services will also be restored soon," Jammu Divisional Commissioner Sanjeev Verma said. Authorities also withdrew Section 144 of CrPC (Code of Criminal Procedure) from Jammu Municipal Corporation's limits.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 09, 2019 06:17 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).