A day after Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti held separate meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi, the counter-insurgency grid in the embattled State was on Tuesday geared up to take effective measures to curb youth unrest in Kashmir valley and incidents of communal hatred in Jammu.
Mufti chaired a crucial meeting of Unified Command Headquarters (UHQ) here to review the emerging security situation in the State. In the meeting, the Chief Minister asked the security forces to act humanely while dealing with the law and order situations and make strides to engage with the embittered youngsters. She asked the Army and Paramilitary Forces to work in close coordination with local police.
“The collateral damages should be prevented at any cost during encounters or law and order situations. The Special Operating Procedures should be followed strictly while handling the situations,” Mehbooba told the meeting.
Topmost State and provincial level officers of the Army, security and intelligence agencies and the civil administration took part in the meeting.
Established in early 1990’s, the Chief Minister-led UHQ is the highest body to take synergised anti-insurgency initiatives in the region.
Sources said the top security officers including the commander of Srinagar-based XV Corps, who is also Chief Minister’s security advisor, were of the view that stone pelting has emerged as a ‘greater challenge’ in the emerging situation in Kashmir.
Sources said that Mehbooba asked the security forces to avoid counterinsurgency operations where apprehensions of collateral damage were higher. This was said in the backdrop of Darbugh Chadoora encounter where three protesters were killed while they were allegedly attempting to help a holed up militant to escape.
In reference to recent incidents of communal hatred in Jammu region, Mehbooba said culprits should be brought to justice if found involved in harassing a community or section of society in the name of a social cause.
An official spokesman said that Chief Minister directed the security agencies to exercise restraint while dealing with ‘provocative situations’.
“The youth unfortunately caught in the cycle of misinformation and violence are our own who ought to be won over with a healing touch,” she told the meeting asking the security agencies to prioritise ‘youth engagement’ rather than viewing it as a routine law and order issue.
She said the parents of youth must be taken into confidence as and when there is some complaint about any youth and in no way should the family be held accountable for the deeds of the said youth.