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National

Get tough with troublemakers, Centre tells J&K

Shujaat Bukhari

SRINAGAR: Union Home Secretary G.K. Pillai on Thursday asked the Omar Abdullah government to sternly deal with troublemakers.

Mr. Pillai, who chaired a high-level meeting here before returning to Delhi, assured the Jammu and Kashmir government of full support in restoring normality and said even additional forces would be deputed to control the situation.

“You should ensure that no guilty person is allowed to go scot-free and efforts should be made to ensure the safety of innocent civilians.” Anti-nationals and vested interests were behind the ongoing unrest in the Valley and they needed to be dealt with sternly, Mr. Pillai told the officials.

The meeting was attended by Director-General of Police Kuldeep Khoda; Special DG, CRPF, N.K Tripathi; and Commander of the Army's 15 Corps Lt. Gen. G.S. Marwah; Director-General of Military Operations Lt. Gen. A.M. Verma; and senior officials of the Central security agencies.

Meanwhile, uneasy calm prevailed in the Kashmir Valley, where protests are being held against the killing of innocent youth. On Wednesday, 17 columns of the Army, supervised by General Officer Commanding of the Kilo Force Major General Jacob, arrived here and staged flag marches, which, according to officials, had a discernible effect on the situation.

Curfew re-imposed

Fearing more trouble in Sopore and Baramulla, the authorities re-imposed curfew, as people took to the streets on Wednesday. In the Rafiabad and Sheeri areas of Baramulla people came out and staged protests. However, no untoward incident took place. Residents of the Palhalan area in Pattan alleged that CRPF personnel swooped down on the village and beat up youth.

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