Security forces in Jammu & Kashmir are bracing for a prolonged cycle of violence which may extend up to Independence Day celebrations as the prevailing law and order situation remained grim in Kashmir Valley.
After Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif last week announced his Government’s decision to observe July 19 as ‘black day’ to protest the “killing of civilians” in the Valley, the State and the Central Governments are reviewing the strategy to deal with the precarious situation at hand. They fear that incidents of stone-pelting will increase and Pakistan will step up infiltration bids from the line of Control (loC) to keep terrorism “boiling”.
Keeping these developments in view, the Army has deployed additional troops along the loC in higher mountain reaches to strengthen its anti-infiltration grid. At present, the Army has a three-tier grid in place to prevent militants from sneaking into the State from across the loC. The additional troops will enhance aggressive patrolling in an arc of four-five kms in sensitive zones to deny militants unhindered movement and engage them in an effort to neutralise them, said officials in the security establishment.
Moreover, security cover provided to pilgrims undertaking Amarnath Yatra was also reviewed and steps were taken to ensure that militants do not target the ongoing pilgrimage, which will end on the second fortnight of August.
Though no major incident of violence centering around yatra was reported so far but sporadic incidents of stone-pelting on pilgrim vehicles took place in some pockets along the yatra route. “Ensuring safety of pilgrims undertaking yatra is of paramount importance and we cannot afford to take lenient view vis-à-vis their genuine security concerns,” a senior police officer supervising yatra arrangements told The Pioneer.
In the present spate of violence erupted in the aftermath of killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, at least 40 people, including a policeman, have lost their lives while over 3,000 people, including over 1,500 security personnel, were injured in the clashes since July 8.
Senior operational commanders of the Army, CRPF and State police were holding regular meetings to assess the evolving situation. These interactions were taking place at the State-level and between the officials of the Defence and Home Ministries in New Delhi, they said.
One of the key features of the parleys was to allow the State police handle law and order situation while the Army will continue with its anti-militancy and anti-infiltration operations in the hilly and inaccessible areas of the Valley, they said.
Elaborating some of the measures taken in the last few days following violent protests, the entire security grid was directed to keep a hawk’s eye on the nefarious design of militant handlers as they are pushing in armed militants in the crowd of stone-pelters to target security forces in order to provoke strong retaliation and more civilian killings.
On Friday last, security forces were targeted by the militants in three different locations while the local youth were pelting stones at them. The incidents were reported from Yariporain Kulgam, Natnusa in Kupwara,Drugmulla in Kupwara. In Khaitangan area of Baramulla attempts were made by the violent crowd to even snatch service weapon of security personnel. More than 200 incidents of stone-pelting were reported from different parts of Kashmir Valley spread from North to South Kashmir.
The police stations besides Army and CRPF camps have borne the maximum brunt of street violence in the last eight days of mindless violence. According to senior police officer of Kashmir range, “around 125 security installations -- including 25 police station/posts -- were targeted by the angry stone-pelters and burnt them to give vent to their ire”. Protesters also burnt down homes of at least nine suspected informers in Woibuindur areas of Anantnag district in the last one week.
In another development, the Centre on Sunday rushed 2,000 additional Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel to the Valley to assist the local police. This was in addition to 2,800 CRPF personnel sent to assist the state police last week, officials said.
Some of the new CRPF units will exclusively render the task of road opening parties in order to secure the movement of security forces convoys. About 60 battalions (about 1,000 in personnel each) are already deployed in the State as part of counter insurgency grid.
Around 200 Kashmiri Pandit employees serving in different State Government departments and camping in safe transit camps also migrated temporarily from the Valley in the wake of volatile situation, they said.