Amid heightened counter-terrorist operations in the Poonch-Rajouri sector, Army Chief, General Manoj Mukund Naravane is on a two-day visit to the Jammu region to review the overall security situation on the ground, even as the Nitish Kumar government urged the Jammu and Kashmir administration to ensure the security of the migrants in the union territory after terrorists killed labourers from Bihar.
Security forces have undertaken many counter-terrorist operations over the past few days and as many as 13 terrorists have been killed in nine encounters between security forces and the terrorists after the civilian killings. The Poonch sector has seen heightened military activities in the last fortnight as nine Army soldiers have lost their lives there and operations are still on in the 16 Corps area to neutralise the terrorists. “Gen M.M. Naravane is on a two-day visit to Jammu Region wherein GOC White Knight Corps will give an update on the security situation and operational preparedness. The chief will also visit forward areas and interact with troops and commanders on the ground,” the Indian Army said.
The Army chief will be briefed about the security grid along the Line of Control and anti-militancy operations in the hinterland by senior Army officers and local formation commanders. After a lull of six months, terrorist activities have gone up in the hinterland and ceasefire violations attempts are also on the rise in the Jammu area.
Meanwhile, a report from Jhunjhunu (Rajasthan) quoted Meghalaya Governor Satya Pal Malik as saying that no terrorists could enter within the 50-100 kilometres range of Srinagar during his tenure as Jammu and Kashmir Governor, but now they are killing poor people. “During my tenure as Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, no terrorists could enter within the 50-100 kms range of Srinagar. But now, terrorists are killing poor people in Srinagar. This is really saddening,” Malik said. Malik was the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir from August 2018 to October 2019. During his tenure, the decision to abrogate Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and bifurcate the region into two Union Territories was taken in August 2019. He has also served as Governor of Goa from November 2019 to August 18, 2020. Malik took oath as the Governor of Meghalaya on 20 August 2020.
After labourers from Bihar were killed by terrorists in Kashmir, the Nitish Kumar government urged the Jammu and Kashmir administration to ensure the security of the migrants in the UT. According to an official statement, the Bihar government requested for the Jammu and Kashmir administration to identify the areas where Biharis dwell and deploy police forces to ensure security. The Bihar government requested an enquiry by a special team and demanded strict punishment for the culprits. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that he has spoken to Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and raised concerns over the killing of the residents of the state living in the Union Territory.
Director General of Police (DGP), Bihar held discussions with his Jammu and Kashmir counterpart and the chief secretary of the union territory. According to the state government statement, Viranjan Paswan alias Virendra of Bhagalpur was killed by terrorists on 5 October. Another resident of Bihar’s Banka, Arvind Kumar Sah was killed by terrorists on 15 October. Further, terrorists fired upon three labourers including Raja Reshi Dev (19), Joginder Rishi Dev (30) and Chunchun Reshi Dev in Wanpoh, Kulgam on October 17. Raja and Joginder have died while Chunchun Reshi Dev is undergoing treatment. All of the three belong to Bihar’s Araria district. Over the past few days, several civilians have been killed by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, sparking fear in the valley.
Meanwhile, a few days after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted raids in the Kashmir Valley in connection with an Islamic State (ISIS) propaganda magazine titled Voice of Hind, the publisher has released the 21st edition of the magazine. The latest edition of the magazine was released on Saturday. It has a story titled “We are coming” with the image of the shooting of a street vendor. A message from the publisher reads that about a year and a half ago, a small magazine was started that has today become a thorn in the eyes of the Tawagheet of the subcontinent. They have done everything to stop its publication, from carrying out dozens of raids to arresting tens of innocent Muslims, the magazine said.
A senior official said the magazine has been created and circulated from Afghanistan and Pakistan but contributors were traced to Kashmir when raids were conducted. A Telegram channel was banned after security agencies flagged it. They keep track on social media and other mediums that are used to circulate the magazine.