Rajnath Singh arrives in violence-hit Kashmir, holds meeting with civil society members
Srinagar: As Kashmir Valley continued to remain under curfew for the 15th day running, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in the state on Saturday to take stock of the situation.
Immediately upon reaching Srinagar, the minister held a meeting with a civil society delegation.
Rajnath Singh will be in the Kashmir Valley for two days – this is his second visit this month to the state.
He had travelled to Kashmir at the start of this month after eight CRPF men were killed by militants in Pampore area of Pulwama district.
He had then also undertaken the Amarnath Yatra.
During his visit, the minister will meet official and public delegations in an effort to end the impasse brought about in the Valley since July 9, a day after Hizbul commander Burhan Wani was killed along with two of his associates in a gunfight in south Kashmir`s Anantnag district.
The minister will also visit some areas in south Kashmir where violence has been witnessed recently.
The death toll in the current unrest stands at 48 — 46 civilians and two policemen.
Officials said strict curfew will continue in south Kashmir`s Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian and Pulwama districts while restrictions will remain in force in the rest of the Valley.
Speaking in the Parliament on Thursday, Rajnath said that security forces were instructed to exercise maximum restraint while dealing with protests in Kashmir valley.
He also said that an experts` committee will review the use of pellet guns by security forces.”It is not like pellet guns were not used in Kashmir in the past; they were, in fact, used in 2010 as well, and they are listed as non-lethal weapons.
On Thursday, an all-party meeting convened by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti was held in Srinagar to review the situation in the valley and to find a way to solve the violence that has left around 43 people dead and thousands injured, after protests broke out in the valley following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist in an encounter with security forces on July 8.
