States »NortPosted at: Mar 22 2021 5:26PM Stone pelters to be slapped with PSA: IGP
Srinagar, Mar 22 (UNI) Asserting that stone pelting is more serious than militancy as it directly impacts the economy and other aspects of society, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir range, Vijay Kumar on Monday said that miscreants, who try to disrupt peace in valley, will be slapped with Public Safety Act (PSA).
“Schools and colleges don’t shut due to two-three militant attack… economic activities are not crippled because of militant attacks. But when stone pelting happens, the number of Yatris and tourists decline… schools and colleges are also closed. So stone pelting is a larger issue as it directly affects the society,” Mr Kumar told reporters during a press conference here on Monday.
So, he said stone pelting is more serious than militancy. “Militancy doesn’t impact the society as much as stone pelting does. We don’t want schools and colleges to close and tourists to stop coming to Kashmir due to stone pelting. So stone pelting is a bigger issue to me than militancy,” he IGP said in reply to a question about why on one hand he was appealing local militants to surrender and on the other hand booking stone pelters under PSA.
Meanwhile, he said that a wrong impression is being created that the incidents of stone pelting have increased near the encounter sites. “The people who live near the encounter site are evacuated from there to a safer place. These people are then portrayed as protestors… there are some miscreants among them who pelt stone, but the stone pelting incidents have not increased. No youth from adjoining villages comes to pelt stones at the encounter site,” he said.
He said to deal with miscreants, who pelt stones, PSA will be will be slapped against them.
The IGP said summer strategy is already in place that includes setting up of fresh naka points, frisking, and deployment of extra security forces.
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