NEW DELHI/SRINAGAR : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday pulled up senior security and intelligence officials over the civilian killings in Jammu and Kashmir, directing them to ensure better law and order to prevent possible targeted killings in the future, sources said.
Shah chaired a high-level meeting to review the security in Jammu and Kashmir where as many as seven civilians have been shot dead in the first week of October alone. The meeting was attended by Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, the chiefs of Intelligence Bureau, Central Reserve Police Force, Border Security Force and other senior officials of the security establishment.
Shah directed the top brass to identify the gaps which could have led to the increase in civilian killings in the Valley and also ordered for enhancement of security in areas where minorities have a sizable presence, said a senior security official who was in know of the meeting.
Back in Jammu and Kashmir, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha also undertook a meeting to review the security situation in the newly carved out Union Territory. Sinha condemned the killing of two teachers belonging to minority communities on Thursday, saying a befitting reply would be given to the perpetrators of the terror attack.
Sinha said the terrorists and their patrons would not succeed in disturbing peace in the Union Territory. Sources said Sinha would be reaching the national capital on Friday to discuss the security situation with Amit Shah.
Jammu and Kashmir police DGP Dilbagh Singh said the targeted killing of civilians, particularly minorities, in the Valley was aimed at creating an atmosphere of fear and damaging the age-old communal harmony. The people who are targeting humanity, brotherhood and local ethos would be unmasked soon, Singh told reporters at the site of the latest militant attack.
“We regret the back-to-back attacks in which civilians have been killed. We are working on the previous cases and the Srinagar Police have got many clues and we will soon get the people behind such terror and barbaric attacks, he said.