Target Killings: HM Amit Shah to chair crucial meet in Delhi

SRINAGAR — Union Home Minister Amit Shah has convened a high-level security meet in New Delhi to deliberate on the spate of target killings in Kashmir and to formulate a new security strategy to put an end to the killing of minority community members, officials in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said Thursday.

An official in the MHA told the news agency Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that the Home Minister Shah met National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval in North Block and discussed the prevailing situation in Kashmir, especially the spurt in the killing of minority community members and non-J&K officers.

The official said that it was decided to convene a high-level review meeting on Friday to evolve a fresh strategy to plug the “killing cycle in Kashmir” and to prevent the mass exodus of migrant Kashmiri Pandits.

On Friday, the militants killed a bank manager of Ellaqai Dihati Bank at Kulgam. The killing came just a few days after militants shot dead a woman teacher from Jammu’s Samba outside her school in Gopalpora, Kulgam.

Sources in the MHA said that all the top officials of J&K’s security grid, including DGP Dilbagh Singh, officers from the CRPF, Army and intelligence grid, will participate in the meeting. NSA Doval and MoS Dr Jitendera will also remain present in the meeting. J&K LG Manoj Sinha, as per the sources, has already reached New Delhi and is believed to have briefed Home Minister Shah about the spate of attacks in Kashmir and the motive behind it.

Sources said that Friday’s meeting will evolve a strategy that includes a fresh plan to deal with the growing attacks on minorities and also a new security strategy to deal with the remaining militants in Kashmir.

The meeting at North Block, to be chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, will be attended by J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Intelligence Bureau Director Arvind Kumar, Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, MHA Special Secretary (Internal Security) V S K Kaumudi and other senior officials of the Kashmir division.

The sources in the MHA said that no decision that will make the situation volatile in Kashmir will be taken but an iron-fist policy will be finalised to deal with the militants involved in target killings in Kashmir.

“Given the fact that Kashmir is full of tourists at this point of time, no harsh decision would be taken in the meeting that would create a fear-psychosis among tourists,” they said, adding that “a well-thought-out plan will be worked keeping in view the upcoming Amarnath Yatra that would start on June 30.”