Centre asks IB and NIA to probe fundings for ongoing Kashmir agitation

New Delhi: With no let up in violence in the Kashmir Valley, the Centre has asked the Intelligence Bureau and National Investigation Agency to set up a special team to probe the funding for the ongoing agitation.

The instructions are issued after a meeting chaired by Union home minister Rajnath Singh, along with national security adviser Ajit Doval, to review the security situation. The officials discussed inputs suggesting a large amount of funds are being pumped into the Valley to fuel the protests.

Sources said the home minister directed the security agencies to freeze the flow of funds aimed at fueling protests, as most of it is coming through the illegal hawala channel.

The NIA is already investigating the role of terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba in the ongoing turbulence in the Valley, and Intelligence inputs suggest subversive elements in Pakistan are sending funds to sustain the momentum of the protests.

“The home minister’s directives are clear that if illegal money is being pumped into the Valley to incite protesters, it should be stopped. We now need to ascertain the network from which the money is coming, and freeze it. The illegal money flow is one of the reasons why the protests are on for over a month,’’ said a senior official.

In the past two days, a Central Reserve Police Force commanding officer, Pramod Kumar, was killed while nine other jawans were injured in a militant attack in Nowhatta, Srinagar. Five civilians are also killed and several others injured in the Army crackdown on stone-pelting mobs in Budgam and Anantnag districts.

Mr Rajnath has asked securitymen to ensure that casualties of both security forces and civilians are avoided. He reviewed security situation in Assam following a recent attack by militant group NDFB (S) in Kokrajhar in which 14 people were killed. ULFA militants had triggered a series of five bombs in Charaido and Tinsukia districts on the I-Day.

5 more die in fresh clashes in Kashmir

Five persons were killed and several others injured in security forces action against stone-pelting protestors in Budgam and Anantnag districts of Kashmir on Tuesday where normal life remained paralysed for the 39th consecutive day due to curfew, restrictions and separatist-sponsored strike.

With the fresh deaths, the toll in the ongoing unrest in the Valley has now gone up to 63. Four persons were killed in CRPF firing on stone-pelting protestors in Aripathan area of Magam in Budgam district while five others were injured, a police official said. The incident took place when a group of protestors hurled stones at a passing CRPF vehicle this morning.