Kashmir unrest: Rajnath Singh reaches Srinagar to review law and order situation

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday reached Srinagar on a two-day visit to the Valley in a bid to calm down the tension that erupted following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. Clashes between protesters and security forces in Kashmir left 45 dead_._ According to ANI, Singh will start a meeting with civil society delegation soom, interact with Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and senior officials and review the law and order situation in Kashmir Valley.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh reaches Srinagar(J&K),starts meeting with civil society delegation; earlier visulas pic.twitter.com/IinUhzN331

— ANI (@ANI) July 23, 2016

After that, he will meet representatives of political parties, social organisations and leading citizens to get their feedback about the Kashmir situation as well as its future roadmap, official sources said here. [caption id=“attachment_2910530” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Home Minister Rajnath Singh. PTI[/caption] Singh will stay at Nehru guest house in Srinagar, where he will meet the public representatives. The Home Minister on Friday had said in Parliament that he would visit Kashmir and stay in a guest house to talk to people from all walks of life there. “We are sure that we will succeed in improving the condition in Kashmir,” he had said. The Home Minister has already announced setting up of an expert committee to recommend alternative to pellet guns, amid strong criticism of the use of weapon for mob control in Kashmir. Describing the youth of Kashmir as “patriots”, he had said “there is an attempt to misguide some” of them and a “mindset that stokes baseless anger against India”. Singh said Pakistan played a “key role” in fuelling tension in the Valley and that the situation was “normalising” gradually. He also reached out to other political parties, saying the government alone cannot solve problems in Kashmir and all parties would have to work together. The Home Minister had described Wani, whose killing in an encounter sparked the recent protests, as a “tech-savvy terrorist of new generation” who had exploited social media platforms to lure youths into picking up the gun. At least 45 youths have lost their lives during violent protests following the killing of Wani, even as curfew remained in force in all 10 districts of the Valley due to apprehension of law and order problems in view of large gatherings for Friday prayers. With inputs from PTI