Rajnath reviews situation in Kashmir, speaks to Mehbooba

Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday assured all possible help to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti in the wake of protests over the killing of a top Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. Singh said the Centre was working with the state government to bring normalcy in the Valley and appealed to the people to maintain peace.

During a 30-minute meeting, the Home Minister was briefed on the law and order situation in Kashmir Valley following the killing of Wani in Kokernag area, 83 km from Srinagar. He had also telephoned Mehbooba on Saturday and assured her all central assistance, a Home Ministry official said.

According to government sources, Singh also asked Mehbooba to ensure the safety of Kashmiri Pandits. “The Home Minister is keeping a close watch on the events. I am sure the situation will come back to normalcy very soon,” said Jitendra Singh, the Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office.

A high-level meeting was also chaired by the Home Minister at his residence in the capital and he chose not to celebrate his birthday on Sunday. Top officials, Home Secretary Anil Goswami, Joint Secretary (Kashmir division) Gyanesh Kumar, Intelligence Bureau (IB) Chief Dineshwar Sharma and senior Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) attended the meeting. 

The violence escalated in the Valley as the death toll in the clashes between security forces and protestors has reached 20. 

As per consolidated information, over 200 people including 96 security personnel were injured in the clashes since Saturday. A local hospital in Srinagar received around 70 injured civilians, most of them with bullet injuries.

State Intelligence chief S M Sahai said the focus was to prevent the loss of young lives. He said the situation was particularly bad in south Kashmir. 

Mobile internet and train services are suspended in the Valley and the Amarnath Yatra remains temporarily suspended and around 10,000 pilgrims are reportedly stranded in Jammu.

Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi said the situation in the Valley is under control.