New Delhi: Security forces have arrested 700 militants in Jammu and Kashmir in connection with the killing of seven civilians, including Kashmiri Pandits, Sikhs and Muslims, in six days. Many of them are affiliated with Jamaat-e-Islami or other terrorist organizations.
A senior police official said they were detained to disrupt the network of attacks in the Kashmir Valley. He attributed the attacks to an increase in terrorist activity since the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan.
Police allege that The Resistance Front, a subsidiary of Lashkar-e-Taiba, was behind most of the attacks. Since January, 28 civilians have been killed in Jammu and Kashmir. Dozens of Kashmiri Pandit families living in transit camps have already fled the valley. Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha condemned the attacks and warned that appropriate action would be taken against those involved in the attacks.
The killing of civilians has already provoked outrage in the Kashmir Valley. Opposition leaders criticized the government’s inaction in preventing the attacks. National Conference leader and former chief minister Farooq Abdullah said on Thursday that innocent people were dying and urged the government to reconsider its policies. He asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Kashmir.
Government school teachers Supunder Kaur and Deepak Chand were shot dead by gunmen in Srinagar on Thursday. On Tuesday, Makhan Lal Bindru, 70, the owner of a pharmacy in Iqbal Park in Srinagar, was shot dead inside his store.
Mohammad Shafi, a taxi driver, and Virender Paswan, a street food distributor from Srinagar in Bihar, were also killed in Bandipora that day. On Thursday, the home ministry sent a team of senior officials to Kashmir. The team of officials was sent after Home Minister Amit Shah criticized local officials.
English Summary: Over 700 “Terrorist Sympathisers” Detained In J&K After Civilian Killings
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