People must stay away from encounters

With Thursday’s ambush of terrorists on the security forces in South Kashmir, the number of soldiers attaining martyrdom in first 53 days of this year has reached 25. There have been killings of 26 militants during this period. This is a shocking statistic clearly revealing that the militants and the terrorists are on the prowl and there is going to be no easy summer ahead. In fact this year the winter was hot too –operationally. What makes the situation further disturbing is the stone-pelting protestors are believed to have facilitated escape of at least 25 militants from the security cordons. Civilians siding with the militants are creating a difficult situation which could trigger more unrest. Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat has warned of “tough action” against civilians who disrupt operations during encounters. As protesting crowds melted away last November, security forces stepped up counterinsurgency operations after a gap of more than five months. Since then, going by reports, at least 36 militants have been killed in encounters. 26 of them were killed just in the first two months of this year. More than a dozen encounters have taken place across Kashmir since October. At least five encounters took place in January. At least four militants have reportedly been arrested since the unrest ebbed.
In recent weeks the Valley has been dotted with encounters. In many incidents following the unrest, protestors, mostly youth, still emerged on the scene and clashed with security forces, after militants escaped from the checkpoint. As stone pelting crowds become a regular feature of encounters, security forces have tried various ways to tackle them. In February 2016, the local police had issued an advisory asking parents to restrain their wards. “In case any encounter starts anywhere, the people, particularly the parents of young adults of the nearby area, are requested not to allow their wards to move towards the encounter site. In case they are outside home, they should be recalled to home,” read the advisory. Rawat’s statement on “tough action” seems to have been prompted by recent losses among security forces. “Our aim has been to conduct operations in a way that don’t endanger the civilians. However, sometimes locals prevent us from conducting military operations – at times even supporting terrorists to escape,” General Rawat “It leads to higher casualties among the security forces. On its part, the administrations of six districts have advised people not to assemble near encounter sites to avoid loss and injuries to precious human lives. Prohibitory restrictions have been imposed within the radius of three kilometers from the site of any counter-insurgency operation in the districts. It is in the interest of peace that people must stay away from encounter sites.