All You Need To Know Gen Rawat's Warning To Kashmiris Pelting Stones, What Led To It And Who Said What

Local Kashmiris pelting stones on security forces and that too while an encounter with terrorists is underway isn¡¯t a new phenomenon as it has been happening for years now.

PTI

But when on Thursday, army chief, General Bipin Rawat said that locals who disrupt anti-militancy operations in Kashmir will be treated as overground workers of terrorists and can be fired on, the age old debate whether India is at all sensitive towards Kashmiris once again got the fodder.

What led to Army Chief Say This?

Army Chief Bipin Rawat said that Kashmiris who pelt stone on security forces while operation against terrorists are on are ground workers of terrorists. General Rawat said this after four Indian soldiers including Major Satish Dahiya lost their lives in two separate operation in Bandipura and Handwara on Tuesday.

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Though four terrorists were also neutralised on the operations, but Kashmiri locals disrupted that operations when they started pelting stones to forces arrived for the combing operations.

Pelting is cited as one of the reasons why the army vehicle couldn¡¯t evacuate injured Major Dahiya and soldiers on time which resulted in their death later his hospital.

But has it made any difference?

No. It hasn¡¯t. Post the army chiefs warning hundreds of locals attacked forces with stones on Saturday afternoon in Urivan village of south Kashmir in Pulwama district, when they were about to launch search and cordon operation in the area.

Reuters

¡°Hundreds of people attacked the forces in Urivan, when they were trying to cordon the area and carrying out search operations. They threw, whatever, they could find on the road towards the forces,¡± Majid Ahmad Sofi, a resident of Zadoora village few hundred meters from Urivan was quoted by the Firstpost. ¡°People from at least five villages gathered within minutes and fought pitched battle with forces, many of them were injured, forcing the army and police to call off the operation,¡± he added.

Similar incidents of stone pelting took place in other places as well while the forces launched combing and search operations.

Though politicians both of J&K and Centre supported Gen Rawat

While J&K government has advised residents of the valley to stay away from the sites of the encounter in support of Gen Rawat¡¯s statement, many other politicians have backed army chief¡¯s statement.

Reuters

The J&K government order said people have been requested not to move towards or assemble near the places where encounters take place between security forces and militants in the interest of their own safety. "This way, injuries or loss of precious human lives can be avoided," the statement said.

AP

In a recent interview given to TOI, Jitender Singh, minister of state PMO when How does he justify the Army chief going public about action against trouble makers in J&K, said: ¡°The nation is eternally indebted to the Indian Army and paramilitary forces. The Army chief 's statement is certainly not political but inspired by a great degree of sensitivity .It is not, as some Congress leaders are alleging, a `chunauti' (warning), rather the `chinta' (concern) that when an anti-militancy operation is under way , innocent lives should not be lost. Therefore, the Army chief has appealed to the people not to let innocent boys get misguided and come in the line of fire during counter militancy operations.¡±

22 terrorists died while 26 soldiers martyred in first 50 days of 2017

Jammu and Kashmir is turning into a never-ending battle ground between security forces and terrorists. In the first 50 days of 2017, Indian security forces have killed 22 terrorists while 26 of our valiant soldiers have martyred themselves for the country. Though majority (20) of the deaths of soldiers took place in avalanche while six lost lives during counter terrorism operations. The number of 22 terrorists killed in first 50 days of the year has been highest since 2010.

AFP

While 20 army personnel including an officer lost their lives in avalanches in the valley, six soldiers were killed during counter-insurgency operations across the state that led to the killing of 22 militants as well, security officials told ET.

Among the security force personnel killed was an officer of the rank of Major who laid down his life while battling militants in Handwara area of Kupwara district on February 14. Three militants were killed in the operation, the officials said.