The security grid across the Jammu region has been kept in a state of high alert ahead of the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address an election rally in Udhampur in support of MoS PMO Dr Jitendera Singh on Friday.

The district administration has also declared the area a ‘No Fly Zone’.

Moreover, tight security arrangements are made in the district, especially along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway to prevent entry of any suspected person towards the venue of the election rally.

In Kashmir division, a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist was killed in an encounter with security forces in the Pulwama district on Thursday.

This was the first encounter between terrorists and security forces in Jammu and Kashmir in more than three months. The security forces had launched a cordon-and-search operation in Fressipora village in the Rajpora area of the south Kashmir district following inputs about the presence of terrorists there, a police spokesperson said.

He said the search operation turned into an encounter after the terrorists opened fire on the forces, who retaliated.

In the ensuing encounter, a terrorist was killed, the police spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) leaders in Jammu and Kashmir are facing a tough challenge to mobilize a large number of people ahead of the election rally of the Prime Minister in Udhampur on Friday.

Earlier, the party machinery had to cut a sorry figure as they could not manage a large crowd during a maiden election rally of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Kathua on Wednesday. Less than 10,000 people attended the rally in Kathua much to the chagrin of the party organisers.

Senior party leaders including J&K BJP Chief Ravinder Raina, General Secretary Sunil Sharma, and former MLAs Pawan Gupta and Ranbir Singh Pathania Thursday visited the venue of the rally in Battal Ballian to take stock of the arrangements.

Rough estimates suggested around 10,000 chairs have been kept inside the pandal. In addition, arrangements have been made to accommodate another four to five thousand people inside the rally ground.  J&K BJP Chief Ravinder Raina also issued an appeal to the party supporters to assemble at the rally ground in large numbers to welcome the Prime Minister.