Don’t Panic, extra deployment a routine rotation, DGP says

Srinagar: As Kashmir is gripped in a state of panic, police said on Friday that the additional paramilitary troops mobilized to Kashmir have been done to give rest to the already on duty troops who have been on “hectic” assignments including Amarnath Yatra and Panchayat elections.

The Director-General of J&K Police Dilbagh Singh while addressing a Joint press conference with the heads of Army and CRPF said that the additional forces in the valley have been brought to give strength to counter-insurgency grid following inputs about militants planning to conduct attacks.

The deployment and the subsequent orders with regard to law and order triggered panic in the valley coupled with uncertainty and speculations.

Dispelling the speculations, the police chief said that on-duty troops need some rest. “We have been into a number of activities for the last 9 to 10 months; we had Panchayat and local body elections followed by parliamentary elections, and now this Amarnath ji Yatra which is going on. The troops did not get a chance to relax for a while so we requested the MHA to give them some relief and in view of the fresh inputs that violence levels will be increased by the militants,” the police chief said.

Singh added that the additional troops are lesser in number and media is exaggerating the figures. The Army accused Pakistan of disrupting the peace in the valley as Pakistan army-backed militants were planning to attack the Amarnath yatra.

While addressing the conference Chinar Corps Commander Lt General KJS Dhillon said that army has recovered the American made M-24 sniper rifle, IEDs and landmines belonging to the Pakistani Army during a search operation along the Yatra route.

He also accused Pakistan army of pushing infiltrators into the valley by resorting to ceasefire violations.

“All these things are an indication that Pakistan and Pakistan Army is desperate to disrupt the peace. And I can assure you on behalf of the team this will not be allowed to happen and replied in a befitting manner,” the General said. He said that one of the IEDs recovered was made in Pakistan.

The General made a plea to the parents asking them to counsel their sons to stay away from militancy. He said that the life of a militant is less than a year and that he wants to convey to their sons to give up the militant ranks.

“We have always welcomed our youth to our fold; we do not want any kind of harm to come to them so therefore we’ve been encouraging them to come back,” the Police Chief said.