As violence continued unabated in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) with two youths injured in clashes with security forces, the Centre on Saturday rushed 3,600 additional paramilitary personnel to the Valley and asked the State Government to ensure that there is no further loss of lives.
Seeking to douse the fire, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti visited the families of those killed in firing by security forces since trouble began on Tuesday and assured justice.
Ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said there seems to be a deliberate and sinister attempt by vested interests to destabilise and subvert the local economy by fuelling violence. PDP youth president Waheed Para, who was advisor to late Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, said all right-thinking people must close ranks to prevent such vested interests from carrying out their nefarious designs.
Earlier, the J&K High Court asked the police to cite the law under which they have detained the minor girl, whose alleged harassment sparked the unrest.
The schoolgirl’s mother went public claiming that the girl was pressured into giving the video statement denying molestation. She accused the local police of detaining her daughter without informing the family and revealing her identity by recording the video statement without covering her face.
She said, “When my daughter was returning home from school on Tuesday, she went to a washroom and was followed by an Army man. When she saw him, she raised an alarm, attracting attention of nearby shopkeepers. Police also arrived on the scene but the soldier fled.”
“We have approached the court and demanded an independent enquiry into the incident. We do not want the police or Army, to probe it,” she added.
Meanwhile, the decision to send more forces to strengthen the security grid in Kashmir valley was taken at a high-level meeting in Delhi where the situation in J&K was discussed extensively. Finance Secretary Ratan Watal, holding additional charge of Union Home Secretary, chaired the meeting which was attended by senior officials from Intelligence Bureau, Ministry of Defence, Central Armed Police Forces and the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The meeting assessed the requirements of the Mehbooba Government to bring the situation under control and ensure no further loss of lives. While 12 companies of paramilitary personnel reached the State on Saturday, 24 more companies will reach by Sunday.
In parts of Srinagar reeling under curfew restrictions, normal life was thrown out of gear while mobile and Internet services were cut off throughout the Valley to contain rumor-mongering on social networking sites. Shops, business establishments, private educational institutions and petrol pumps in most district headquarters remained closed.
Two youths, Yawar Rashid and Gowhar Majid, sustained injuries when security forces fired pellet guns to disperse stone-pelting protestors in Trehgam area of Kupwara district, a police official said adding both the injured were shifted to a hospital in Srinagar for specialised treatment.
Police and Central Reserve Police Force personnel were deployed in strength in sensitive areas to foil any attempt to hold violent protests. Most of the separatist leaders have either been arrested or kept under house arrest.
Meanwhile, Kashmir University postponed all examinations scheduled for Saturday. A spokesman for the varsity said fresh dates for these examinations would be notified later.
Opposition National Conference on Saturday labelled Mehbooba’s “belated” visit to Kupwara as a classic case of “too little, too late”, especially after she “chose to remain in New Delhi while youths were losing their lives in the Valley.”
During her Kupwara visit Mehbooba chaired a meeting, which was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, Minister for Rural Development Abdul Haq Khan, Handwara MlA Sajad lone, Chief Secretary BR Sharma, DGP Rajendra Kumar and senior Army officers.
She made it clear that no civilians should be harmed while security forces deal with law-and-order situations. She said she had a telephonic conversation with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar late on Friday evening and also met Northern Army Commander lt-Gen DS Hooda and told them that incidents like the ones at Handwara were “unacceptable” as they were a major setback to the efforts of the State Government in consolidating peace dividends in the State.
later, while interacting with members of civil society, she sought their cooperation in restoring peace and normalcy in the frontier district.