- Discusses upcoming Amarnath Yatra, Kashmir train, Jammu situation with top brass
- Billawar observed complete Bandh, protests erupt
Jammu, Mar 9: Hours after the recovery of three bodies of missing persons in Bani-Billawar area of Kathua district, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan on Sunday reviewed the situation in a high-level meeting here.
The Union Home Secretary accompanied by top officials of the Home Department arrived in Jammu this morning. Top brass of police, paramilitary forces, central forces and officials of intelligence agencies briefed the Union Home Secretary about the prevailing situation in J&K.
Today’s meeting was Govind Mohan’s second security review meeting in Jammu and Kashmir as the Union Home Secretary. He had chaired his first meeting in Srinagar in December last year.
Sources said that in today’s meeting deliberations were held on three points which included forthcoming Amarnath Yatra, which is scheduled to commence in July this year, safety of Kashmir to Kanayakumari rail services, likely to begin anytime soon and prevailing security situation in Jammu region.
Sources said that security review meeting was already scheduled but it was held a day after security forces recovered bodies of three missing civilians from a water channel in the upper reaches of Bani-Billiwar in Kathua District.
Slain civilians, including a child were from a marriage party. They went missing and remained untraced for more than 60 hours. The victims Yogesh (32), Darshan (40) and Varun (14), are believed to be cousins.
Sources SAID that the Union Home Secretary chaired two separate meetings.
“Top brass of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) officials dealing with J&K, including J&K Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, state Home Secretary Chandrakar Bharti, DGP Nalin Prabhat, Additional DG CID, Nitish Kumar, IGP Jammu, Bhim Sen Tuti, IGP Kashmir, V.K. Birdi and senior officers of BSF, CRPF and intelligence agencies attended the first meeting,” sources said.
They added that Superintendents of Police of all the 20 districts of J&K attended another meeting chaired by Mohan.
One of the points which came up for discussion during the meetings, according to the sources, included: “The Government of India (GOI) is concerned about the presence of terrorists in the higher reaches of the Jammu division, who should have been neutralised during the winter months due to climatic conditions but are reported to be still active in those areas.”
Another point which was discussed, sources said, was that “most of terrorists in the upper reaches are believed to be foreigners and their survival in extreme winter is not possible without some local support.”
The officials, according to the sources, were told that “the MHA is concerned about the reports of terrorists’ presence in the upper reaches of Kathua, Udhampur, Doda, Kishtwar, Reasi, Rajouri and Poonch districts. They need to be neutralized.”
Meanwhile, people in Billawar town observed complete Bandh and held demonstrations over the killing of civilians.
“This is a clear case of target killings by terrorists, engulfing the peaceful area in fear and anger…we want the government to intensify the anti-terrorist operations in the forests to neutralise the terrorists hiding in the forests for the last one year,” local BJP leader Gopal Krishan, who led a group of protesters at Phinter Chowk, said.
Senior BJP leader and Billawar MLA Satish Sharma, who visited the deceased family, said it is premature to say who killed the three civilians. “It is a matter of investigation as nobody has seen how they were killed. Police are looking in all aspects, including the terror angle, in the case,” he said.
The police and para military forces have been deployed in strength in view of anger among people in the area.
MLA Bani Dr Rajeshwar Singh, who visited the Sub District Hospital at Billawar to meet the families of the deceased Saturday night was manhandled by a group of protestors.
Later, he told media persons that some people were trying to vitiate the atmosphere, and that he was assaulted for having raised the issue of a Gujjar youth Makhan Din who, alleging police torture to make a statement about militant links, had died by suicide.
Rameshwar Singh said he was the only person to have raised in the Legislative Assembly the issue of the disappearance of three civilians in Malhar area, who were later found dead on Sunday.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah termed the killings as “barbaric”.
“Deeply shocked and saddened by the barbaric murder of three innocent civilians, including a minor boy, in Kathua. Such heinous acts have no place in our society and must be met with the strongest condemnation. My heartfelt condolences to the grieving families,” Abdullah said in a post on X.
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary also condemned the killings, and said “increasing crime is a matter of concern.”
He also expressed concern over the “life-threatening” attack on Bani MLA Rameshwar Singh, who was assaulted by a group of protesters while he had gone to meet the family members of the deceased at a local hospital in Billawar late Saturday night.
Suspecting the three might have been kidnapped by militants, security forces and the Jammu and Kashmir Police launched searches for them, particularly since there had already been reports of militant movement in the area. This area falls in close proximity of Badnota where five soldiers were killed in a militant attack on an army convoy in July last year.
Earlier on February 16, the bodies of two villagers were found at village Kohag in Billawar and their postmortem revealed they were strangled to death.
LG Sinha orders thorough, transparent investigation
JAMMU, Mar 9: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday ordered a thorough and transparent investigation into the killing of three relatives of a family in Kathua district.
The bodies of Varun Singh (15), his paternal uncle Yogesh Singh (32) and maternal uncle Darshan Singh (40) were found from the Ishu nullah in the remote Malhar area in the higher reaches of the district on Saturday. The trio had gone missing on March 5.
“I have ordered a thorough and transparent investigation, and all the necessary support to the families will be provided,” the LG said in a post on X.
He said he was shocked and saddened beyond words at the brutal killing of the three.
“I assure the people that the perpetrators will be brought to book at the earliest. Justice will be ensured and accountability will be fixed,” Sinha said.
He offered his condolences to the families and friends of the deceased.
Police Team formed to investigate Kathua Killings: DIG
Jammu, Mar 9: A team has been formed to probe the death of three persons whose bodies were found near a waterfall in a remote forested area in Kathua district, a senior police officer said on Sunday.
Deputy Inspector General of Police, Jammu-Kathua-Samba Range, Shiv Kumar said all aspects of the case will be looked into and the results of the investigation will be shared with the public soon.
The bodies of Varun Singh (15), his paternal uncle Yogesh Singh (32) and maternal uncle Darshan Singh (40) were found from the Ishu nullah in the remote Malhar area in the higher reaches of Kathua on Saturday. The trio had gone missing on March 5 during a wedding function.
Accompanied by Senior Superintendent of Police, Kathua, Shobit Saxena and Additional Deputy Commissioner Vinay Khosla, the DIG met the protesting locals of Malhar, Malad, Marhoon, Deota and adjoining areas in Billawar, and assured them that the security arrangements will further be strengthened.
“A team has been constituted for the investigation of the case, while the Village Defence Guards (VDGs) will be strengthened to make people feel secure. Those willing to be part of the security grid will be given training,” Kumar told reporters in Billawar.
He said several police and Special Operations Group (SOG) personnel are already on the ground to secure the area, along with Army and paramilitary forces.
“The teams are working on every aspect of the case and keeping a close watch (on the situation). We are hopeful that the results will be in front of everyone very soon,” the officer said.
He said what exactly happened is a matter of investigation and as the probe progresses, information will be shared accordingly.
Meanwhile, the postmortem of the deceased was conducted by a specially-constituted doctors’ team at a Kathua hospital and the bodies were handed over to their families for the last rites.
The bodies reached the homes of the deceased late on Sunday evening and the cremation will take place on Monday, officials said.
