Shift juveniles to remand homes: Rajnath asks J&K

JAMMU: Three days after centre's special representative Dineshwar Sharma for the peace dialogue in Jammu and Kashmir briefed Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and member of the core group on Kashmir on the first round of talks he had with various sections of the society here on his maiden visit, the Ministry of Home Affairs has asked the state government to move all juveniles, arrested for pelting stones and other unlawful activities, from jails to remand homes and review their cases sympathetically.
On Saturday, Home Minister Rajnath Singh passed these instructions to the state government, as an attempt to reach out to the people of Jammu and Kashmir by the central government after the appointment of Dineshwar Sharma as the Centre's special representative to initiate talks with all stakeholders.
In fact, while the directions have been passed on Saturday, officials said that the issue was discussed in detail at the very meeting on Wednesday, which was chaired by the union home minister and attended by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, where it was decided to ask the Jammu and Kashmir government to work on the cases of juveniles.
After the core group meeting, the Jammu and Kashmir government has been asked to shift all juveniles, who were arrested for pelting stones and other crimes, to remand homes and review their cases sympathetically, a home ministry, privy to the development, said.
The state government is expected to take the initiative to shift the juveniles to remand homes and review their cases soon, the official said.
Top officials of ministries of home and defence, chiefs of intelligence agencies, besides Sharma also attended the meeting.
Sharma will again visit the state soon to continue his mission of holding a sustained dialogue process.