NEW DELHI & SRINAGAR : The Ministry of Home Affairs has directed the Central paramilitary forces deployed in Jammu and Kashmir to exercise “maximum” restraint while controlling violent mobs in view of the considerable improvement in the security situation during the last two weeks. The forces have been asked not to use pellet guns and avoid using force unless the situation is really grave.
While stray incidents of stone-pelting have been reported during the period, the intensity of such attacks has recorded a marked decline. The mobs indulge in heavy stone-pelting and target the security forces. But the security forces hardly fired any pellets during the period.
Officials said while the government policy was to be tough against the infiltrators, it also wanted to handle the situation in a sensitive manner in order to regain peace. The government has directed the forces to be on high alert to thwart any possible attack by the 250-300 Pakistan-sponsored militants who are hiding in the Valley and could exploit the lull in the violence.
“The next two weeks are important as the terrorists might seek to strike, possibly on a defence or security installation after the relative peace on the ground for past two weeks. The terror groups might try to disturb the ensuing peace by carrying out some major attack,” a senior official involved with the Multi-Agency Centre meetings relating to the border state said. Apart from the CRPF, the SSB and the ITBP have also been deployed in the Valley.
Meanwhile, a five-member team led by senior BJP leader and former Union minister Yashwant Sinha is visiting Sirnagar on Tuesday to start Track-II diplomacy to resolve the over -three-month-long unrest in the Valley. The team also comprising former National Commission for Minorities chairperson Wajahat Habibullah, former Air Vice Marshal Kapil Kak, journalist Bharat Bhushan and Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation executive director Sushobha Barve would meet talks with Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh and Opposition leaders to discuss ways to end the unrest.
BSF jawan, 6-year-old killed in Pak firing
Srinagar: A BSF man and a six-year-old boy were killed and seven civilians and two border guards injured in 20-hour-long firing and shelling by Pakistani troops in many sectors along the international border in Jammu on Monday. Constable Susheel Kumar was the third security men to be killed in Pakistani firing since the Army conducted surgical strikes across the LoC on September 28/29. The slain boy was identified as Vicky Kumar, who belonged to a labourer family from Bihar and had spent the night in an underground bunker.