Home Minister Amit Shah reviews security situation in Kashmir after series of attacks

Home Minister Amit Shah reviews security situation in Kashmir after series of attacks

Kashmir: Union home minister Amit Shah reviewed the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday in the aftermath of a series of attacks which led to the deaths of seven civilians in the last five days, officials familiar with the developments told news agency PTI.

Top officials in an hour-long presentation briefed the Union home minister on the overall security situation in the Union Territory and border areas. Amit Shah was also briefed about the latest modus operandi of the terrorists who are carrying out attacks on soft targets and what steps are being taken to tighten the security measures.

 

Amit Shah ordered officials to ensure that those involved in the killings of innocent civilians are arrested and further occurrence of such incidents can be prevented. Director of the Intelligence Bureau Arvind Kumar later in the day held a separate meeting with Shah with top officials in Jammu and Kashmir in attendance.

 

Officials told news agency PTI that the recent series of attacks targeting unarmed policemen, politicians and innocent civilians from minority communities, including women, are a result of frustration amongst the terrorist groups and their Pakistani handlers following the destruction of their support systems. They said that 28 civilians were killed this year by terrorists.

 

A principal and a teacher were shot dead at point-blank range at a school in Srinagar on Thursday. Supinder Kaur, the principal of the Government Boys Higher Secondary School at Eidgah in Srinagar, and Deepak Chand were gunned down at around 11.15 am on the school premises. No children were present at the time of the killings.

 

Five people were killed by terrorists in the last four days in Kashmir. On Tuesday, a renowned pharmacy owner Makhan Lal Bindroo was shot dead by terrorists. A Kashmiri Pandit, Bindroo was among those from the community who lived in Srinagar despite the rise of extremism in the valley.

 

A bhel puri seller Virendra Paswan and a taxi stand worker Mohammad Shafi Lone were also shot dead in Srinagar and Bandipora, respectively.

Earlier in the day, former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha and Jammu and Kashmir police chief Dilbag Singh condemned the attacks on religious minorities of Kashmir.