Union Home Secy reviews security situation in J&K
STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan on Sunday chaired high level security review meetings with focus on intensifying anti-terrorist operations ahead of the summer months to neutralise the threat and ensure peace in Jammu and Kashmir, official sources said.
The two meetings, which were attended by senior officers of Army, BSF, Police, National Investigation Agency, Paramilitary Forces and intelligence agencies, came a day after bodies of three missing persons were recovered by security forces in the higher reaches of Kathua district, the sources said.
They said the meetings also discussed the security arrangements for the Kashmir railway line which is likely to be inaugurated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi any time soon besides the 38-day annual Amarnath pilgrimage, which is scheduled to start on July 3.
The sources said General officer Commanding of White Knight Corps Lt Gen Navin Sachdeva, J&K Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat and Director General of Border Security Force (BSF) Daljit Singh Chawdhary were among the senior officers who attended the meetings.
The Union Home Secretary reviewed the overall security situation in the Union Territory and also n STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday expressed pain and anguish over the killing of three civilians Varun Singh, Yogesh Singh and Darshan Singh of Kathua District and ordered a thorough and transparent investigation into these killings.
The bodies of Varun Singh (15), his paternal uncle Yogesh Singh (32) and maternal uncle Darshan Singh (40) were found from the Ishu nullah in the remote Malhar area in the higher reaches of the district on Saturday. The trio had gone missing on March 5.
“I am shocked and saddened beyond words at the brutal killing of Varun Singh, Yogesh Singh and Darshan Singh of Kathua. In this hour of grief, I offer my deepest condolences to their families and friends.
I have ordered a thorough and transparent investigation and all the necessary support to the families will be provided. I assure the people that the perpetrators will be brought to book at the earliest. Justice will be ensured and accountability will be fixed”, the Lieutenant Governor posted on ‘X’.
Earlier, Union minister Jitendra Singh, who represents Udhampur constituency that covers Kathua, said the three civilians were killed by terrorists and asserted that there is a “deep conspiracy” to spoil the atmosphere in the area.
The killings have sparked protest in the district.
“The brutal killing of 3 youth by terrorists in Bani area of district Kathua is extremely sad as well as a matter of great concern. There appears to be a deep conspiracy behind spoiling the atmosphere in this peaceful area,” the minister said on X.
“We have discussed this matter with the officials concerned. The Union Home Secretary himself is reaching Jammu so that the situation can be assessed on the spot. I am confident that it will be ensured that such incidents do not happen again and the confidence of the people remains strong,” he said.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah termed the killings as “barbaric”.
“Deeply shocked and saddened by the barbaric murder of three innocent civilians, including a minor boy, in Kathua. Such heinous acts have no place in our society and must be met with the strongest condemnation. My heartfelt condolences to the grieving families,”