Kashmir unrest: CRPF chief claims fall in stone-pelting incidents in 2017; credits security agencies

The number of stone-pelting incidents in Jammu and Kashmir has come down this year, CRPF Director General Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar said on Wednesday. [caption id=“attachment_3857853” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AP[/caption] “So far in 2017, only 424 stone-pelting incidents have been reported in comparison with 1,590 incidents last year,” Bhatnagar said in New Delhi. He was speaking during the celebration of the 78th anniversary of the CRPF. Giving credit to security forces, police and central agencies, Bhatnagar said, “Combined efforts of the security forces, Jammu and Kashmir Police and all the agencies including National Investigation Agency (NIA) have made this happen.” The CRPF also said that it has killed 75 militants, including top commanders of Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hizbul Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Mohammed, and apprehended 252 others in Jammu and Kashmir this year. During this period, the CRPF neutralised two Hizbul Mujahideen, two Lashkar-e-Taiba and one notable Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists in the state, he said. Bhatnagar said the over 3.5 lakh-strong force has recovered 118 arms belonging to militants in the Valley between January and 26 July this year. Shabbat Ahmed Bhat and Gulzar Ahmed Lone of Hizbul Mujahideen, Bashir Lashkar Wani and Junaid Mattoo of Lashkar-e-Taiba, Aquib Ahmed alias Abu Hamza of Jaish-e-Mohammed along with two other terrorists, namely Jahangir Ahmed Hannibal and Shabaz Ahmed Wani, were among the notable terrorists killed by the CRPF. With inputs from IANS