HYDERABAD: In his speech to the graduating cadets of the Indian Air Force today, Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat acknowledged that even schoolchildren and women are throwing stones at the Indian security forces in Jammu & Kashmir. But at the same time, he said the current unrest was limited to some pockets of Kashmir.
"However, some southern parts of the state are indeed troublesome," said the chief of army staff.
IN PICS: Combined graduation parade at IAF Academy
The Army chief assured that the armed forces are well-equipped to deal with the current violence in Kashmir in which schoolchildren and women have been seen to join stone-pelters.
"When we find that there are children and women, we deal with them accordingly,” said Gen. Rawat. “We know how to deal with them and we do have a good human rights record."
Claiming that the army is doing a great job in the state, he said, "We are a people’s armed force.”
He said the youth of Kashmir were being misinformed which is forcing them to pick up arms. "There is some disinformation being spread among the people, which is compelling the youth to pick up arms," said Gen Rawat said. "I am confident that they will soon understand that what they are doing is not good for their state.”
The passing out parade of the Air Force Academy at Dundigal on the outskirts of Hyderabad, marked the commissioning of 199 flight cadets, including 22 women, into the Indian Air Force as flying officers and ground duty officers.