Guv, CM review security at high-level
Sanjeev Pargal/Fayaz Bukhari
JAMMU/SRINAGAR, Apr 2: Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today called for shedding differences and coming together to think about new ways to reach out to the youth and find sustainable solutions to end dreadful cycle of violence even as she reviewed security situation in Kashmir at a high-level meet today and has called yet another meeting tomorrow afternoon in the wake of deadly violence yesterday in which 20 persons including 13 militants, three Army jawans and four civilians were killed in two encounters at South Kashmir.
Mehbooba, who cancelled her all engagements in Jammu and straightway flew to Srinagar from New Delhi this afternoon, tonight tweeted: “the violence from yesterday is a grim reminder of the fact that at times like these we must shed our differences & come together to think of new ways to reach out to the youth & find sustainable solutions to end the dreadful cycle of violence that is consuming them endlessly’’.
Her call for shedding differences comes in the wake of series of tweets by National Conference working president and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah questioning Mehbooba’s absence from Kashmir at this crucial juncture and concern over increased number of local militants.
“Every day it breaks my heart to see a wailing mother beckoning her son to return. So can we leave aside our accusations & counter accusations, put our heads together to save these young ones,’’ Mehbooba said through another tweet.
Meanwhile, Governor NN Vohra reached Srinagar this morning from here and separately met three top officers of Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police to discuss prevailing security situation with them.
He separately met General Officer Commanding (GOC) 15 Corps Lt Gen AK Bhat, Director General of Police (DGP) Dr Shesh Pal Vaid and Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir, Swayam Prakash Pani and was briefed by all three about yesterday’s anti-militancy operations in South Kashmir in which security forces eliminated 13 militants but, at the same time, three Army soldiers and four civilians were killed while around 100 others were injured as people protested at the site of encounters.
Of 13 slain militants, 12 were locals from Kashmir.
The Governor also met heads of Central Intelligence Agencies and took feedback from them on the presence of militants and steps required to keep Kashmir peaceful during summer, which has already set-in.
Sources said top officers of Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police gave their view point on the killings of civilians during anti-militancy operations yesterday.
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, who was scheduled to reach Jammu this afternoon from New Delhi, cancelled his all engagements in winter capital of the State, and flew to Srinagar, where she was closeted with top officials of Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and Intelligence agencies to take feedback on the situation in the Valley especially in the wake of yesterday’s operations in which four civilians were also killed and scores of others were injured.
Mehbooba has called another high-level security review meeting at her official residence in Srinagar at 3 pm tomorrow in which top officials of majority of security agencies, apart from police and civil administration would be present.
Today’s meeting besides other officials was attended by Director General of Police, Dr SP Vaid, Additional Director General of CID, Abdul Gani Mir, Inspector General of Police Kashmir range, SP Pani and Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Baseer Ahmad Khan.
Mehbooba was briefed about the situation by the top police officers and the efforts being made to bring the situation to normal after yesterday’s bloody day.
She was given detailed briefing about the two gun battles which took place in Shopian district of South Kashmir yesterday where seven militants and a civilian were killed at Dragad village and at Kachdoora where 5 militants, three civilians and three Army personnel were killed and over 100 protesters were injured in the clashes that took place at both the places.
The police officers reportedly told the Chief Minister that it was unprecedented situation in Kachdoora where thousands of people assembled at the encounter site and pelted stones on the security forces who had engaged a group of militants in an encounter. She was told that there would have been more causalities if the operation would not have been called off.
However, sources said that the Chief Minister was disturbed with the killings and use of force to tackle the law and order problem.
She directed the police officers that utmost care should be taken to avoid collateral damage in security forces’ operations against the militants and dealing with the law and order problems.
Sources said the Chief Minister reiterated that during anti-militancy operations, civilian killings and collateral damage have to be avoided at any cost and the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) strictly adhered to.
Sources said the summer has set-in and the Government was worried about tourist season for which it had recently hosted convention of Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) in Srinagar for two days and called upon them to motivate tourists to the Valley.
Meanwhile, sources said, disturbing signals continued to pour in from the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir that some trained militants have reached launching pads there with a view to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir with the help of Pakistani troops.
Not only the State Government but, according to sources, the Centre was also concerned over the situation in the Kashmir valley due to joining of militancy by local youth, presence of civilians at the encounter sites despite being repeatedly asked not to do so and some other factors. However, the Centre was reportedly satisfied with number of killings of the militants by security forces and thwarting of infiltration attempts by the troops along the LoC.
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