Law and Order much better in J&K now: State to Centre

The law and order situation in Jammu and Kashmir is now "much better" than the previous year, the state government has told the Centre citing official figures of incidents.

However, attempts to create trouble in the Valley are on the rise as infiltration attempts have more than doubled and terror incidents this year have not decreased compared to last year.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) informed the Parliament last week that the government is keeping a constant watch on all developments having a bearing on India’s security and hastaken all necessary measures to safeguard it.

“As reported by the State Government, the law and order situation in Jammu and Kashmir is much better than the previous year as 583 cases have been registered during the current year till date against 2897 cases of previous year,” Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir replied to a written question in Lok Sabha last week.

It also noted that the number of civilians killed this year was 21 while last year saw 85 civilian deaths. In comparison, it was 112 in 2010. The state government told MHA that 12,650 miscreants or separatists were either arrested or bound down under substantive and preventive laws since 2016. Separatists and trouble mongers have been kept under close surveillance to check their activities.
According to statistics provided by the MHA, there were 664 incidents of stone-pelting incidents this year until July 9 while there were 2,808 in 2016 and 2,794 in 2010. Stone-pelting and other protests had intensified in Kashmir after the encounter killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani in July last year.

While there was a decrease in terrorist incidents in the past couple of years but it rose to 322 in 2016 and this year till July 9, there were 172 incidents in which 12 civilians, 38 security personnel and 95 terrorists were killed.

There were 42 infiltration attempts on the Line of Control during the past six months of this year as against 19 during the same period last year.The MHA said the government "regularly reviews" the security situation in Kashmir and necessary directions are given from time to time.

In Parliament, the MHA made it clear that government's policy on Kashmir is "same as was unanimously adopted by Parliament" on 22 February 1994 through a resolution, which said Jammu and Kashmir "has been, is and shall be an integral part of India and any attempts to separate it from the rest of the country will be resisted by all necessary means".

"India has the will and capacity to firmly counter all designs against its unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity and demands that Pakistan must vacate the areas of the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir, which they have occupied through aggression and resolves that all attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of India will be met resolutely," the 1994 resolution had said.