Rajnath Singh in J&K in fresh effort to end ongoing turbulence

SRINAGAR: Union home minister, Rajnath Singh on Wednesday arrived here to make a renewed effort to reach out to as many people as possible during his two-day visit to the restive Kashmir Valley as part of the Centre’s effort to seek an end to the ongoing turbulence.

Mr Singh, soon after arriving here, was closeted with senior officials of the security forces, Intelligence agencies and state administration for a briefing on the latest law and order situation in the Valley.

Later during the day, he met delegations of various mainstream political parties including those from main opposition National Conference, the Congress and the BJP’s coalition partner PDP and some other groups.

The home minister tweeted, “I will be staying at the Nehru Guest House. Those who believe in Kashmiriyat, Insaniyat and Jamhooriyat are welcome”. Sixty-eight civilians have been killed and thousands injured in firing in the Valley so far.

On 47th day, toll rises to 68
Shortly before Union home minister Rajnath Singh arrived here on a two-day visit to review the security in the Kashmir Valley caught in mayhem for the past 47 days, another youth was killed and over 40 people were injured in clashes in southern Pulwama district on Wednesday.

With the latest fatal injury the death toll in security forces’ firings and other actions has risen to 68 whereas two policemen have also been killed in mob violence.

Thousands of civilians and security personnel have been injured, so far, during the unrest triggered by the killing of Hizb-ul-Mujahedin’s Internet-savvy poster boy Burhan Muzaffar Wani on July 8.

Reports said that teenager Amir Gul Mir, a resident of Pulwama’s Ratnipora area, was as per eyewitnesses hit by a teargas canister in the head and also received multiple pellet wounds during street clashes which started shortly before dawn after the security forces moved in the area to foil an ‘aazadi’ rally.

He was rushed to Srinagar’s Sri Maharaja Hari Singh hospital where he died soon thereafter. Witnesses said the surging crowds, at 4 am on Wednesday, took to the streets and many of them also relocated to a local stadium after the security forces defaced the venue of the rally at Prichoo in Pulwama. The security forces quickly swung into action firing teargas canisters. This led to clashes between the two sides during which pellet guns were also fired by the security force, police sources said.