PM Narendra Modi to attend DGP meet, no-fly zone in Rann of Kutch from December 18

NEW DELHI: A no-fly zone will be imposed around Rann of Kutch and nearby areas from December 18 as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend the three-day annual meet of directors-general of police in his home state Gujarat.

While a heavy security blanket is being thrown on the ground, no plane will be allowed within a radius of 50 km and additional anti-aircraft guns will be deployed to shoot down any aerial intrusion, officials said. There will be restrictions on the use of drones as well, they said.

Modi is likely to stay for three days at the makeshift tents in Rann of Kutch in close proximity to the border with Pakistan. Unlike in the past, he is expected to speak at the end of the conference, officials said.

During the meet, the DGPs will discuss the use of internet and social media in radicalisation of youth at a time when Islamic State is using Net to lure men and women. Although the terrorist group has managed to enlist only a handful of Indians as members, experts warn that the phenomenon of lone ranger cannot be ignored.

The meeting will see a presentation from the Intelligence Bureau on the success of some of its covert cyber operations through which many of these youths in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala were identified and stopped from joining IS.

An analysis of incidents such as the Dadri lynching and 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, and how they are used to stoke communal passions, is also likely to feature during the meeting, amid suggestions that "it is necessary to ensure that local issues are not exploited by vested interests".