WEB DESK
Jammu and Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik has said that there is no need to panic over the movement of troops as it was done as part of a poll exercise, and dismissed apprehensions of war and others as rumours. reports Hindustan Times web.
“There is no need to panic. A six member team of election commission of India is coming to Kashmir and we need to discuss these security parameters with them and we want to hold timely elections and want to show the team that we are capable of holding elections on time,” Malik told HT.
Panic had spread in Kashmir valley following news about movement of troops, a crackdown on separatist groups and due to fighter jets and helicopters hovering over Srinagar.
Rumours started swirling about the possibilities of a war with Pakistan following the February 14 Pulwama suicide car bombing that killed 40 CRPF troopers, and about upcoming Lok Sabha elections. It was also conjectured that it was related to petitions challenging Article 35A of the constitution due to begin in the Supreme Court. The article grants special privileges to permanent residents of J&K.
People had started stocking on essentials like rations and medicines even as top officials were tight-lipped about what was happening and ignored the speculation doing the rounds.
Meanwhile Jammu and Kashmir police cracked down hard on separatist groups, especially the Jamaat –e-Islami, arresting its local chief Abdul Hamid Fayaz and 150 other activists, as the central government reinforced the strength of paramilitary forces in the state on Saturday, days after the deadly Pulwama attack. As night fell, Jammu and Kashmir appeared to be poised on the edge.
Raids on the separatist groups, which led to a shutdown strike in parts of Srinagar, began late Friday when the police, backed by the army, started arresting their members in central, north and south Kashmir, officers in the police and security agencies said. Some separatist leaders couldn’t be located either in their homes or offices and escaped arrest. Among those detained was Yasin Malik, leader of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front, the officers said.