Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Saturday that he would make a formal announcement on Sunday on the Centre’s decision on extension of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) or ‘cease-ops’ — currently in force in the Kashmir Valley.
As the government weighs the possibility of extending the SoO that ended on Saturday with the end of Ramzan, government data show 65 incidents of stone- pelting were reported from May 16 till June 16. In comparison, 31 incidents were reported in January, 45 in February, 79 in March and 169 in April when the SoO was not in place. From June 1-14 alone, 27 such incidents were reported. DGP S.P. Vaid told The Hindu that there was an “increase in the militant-related incidents” during this period.
No funerals
“People felt relaxed in this one month and stone pelting also decreased. Since there was no funeral of militants, there were no law and order incidents and the Hurriyat was not able to give a call for bandh (strike). It’s a vicious cycle. That nexus was broken,” Mr. Vaid said.
He said the recruitment of local militants had remained at the same levels without any alarming increase.
“The Centre had asked for our feedback on SoO and we conveyed our decision last week,” Mr. Vaid said. The DGP was in New Delhi on Thursday to attend a meeting reviewing the security preparedness for the Amarnath Yatra that commences on June 28.
The government will consider these facts and a comparative analysis of the incidents reported during the pre-Ramzan period will also be factored in when the decision on the SoO is announced on Sunday, an official said.
The decision to impose an SoO followed successive reports from the Centre’s Special Representative Dineshwar Sharma that killings and encounters were not yielding the desired results and the emotional upsurge at funerals of militants killed in encounters was aiding recruitment by terror outfits.
On May 16, the Union Home Minister, while announcing the SoO, had asked “security forces not to launch operations” in Jammu and Kashmir during the month of Ramzan.
He had however, said “security forces reserve the right to retaliate if attacked or if [it was] essential to protect the lives of innocent people.”
As many as 64 terrorists were killed till May 6 this year in various operations in South Kashmir — the highest in a decade for the period. More than 40 men had joined the terrorist ranks during this period.