NEW DELHI, Dec 4:
Jammu and Kashmir Government is probing whether the recent killings of panchayat members were carried out by militants or resulted from personal enmity and criminal nexus.
In a written reply, Minister of State for Home Affairs R P N Singh said, “As per information received from the State Government, two Sarpanchs (Kulgam and Baramulla) and one Panch (Baramulla) have been killed by unknown gunmen in incidents of violence against the elected representatives of Panchayats.”
He said investigation is on to unravel the truth as to whether the killings of panchayat members were related to militancy or there was some criminal nexus or personal enmity behind the incidents.
“State Government has taken measures to ensure safety of elected representatives of panchayats which includes night patrolling by security forces and domination of area, perceived to be vulnerable to such attacks. All specific reports about threats to Sarpanchs/Panchs are being attended by State police,” Singh said.
Panchayat elections were held in the State earlier this year after more than three decades and as many as 35,000 Panchs and Sarpanchs were elected.
In August this year, posters claiming to be that of a terror group were pasted in some parts of the Valley asking the Panchs to quit. However, the police was not sure whether the posters were a handiwork of some terror group or miscreants.
Meanwhile, Government today said terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan is still intact with reports of presence of about 2,500 militants in various camps across the border.
“The terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan or Pakistan occupied Kashmir remains intact and infiltration attempts from across the border still continue to pose a challenge to the security forces.
“Reports indicate that there are 42 militants camps functioning across the borders, 25 in PoK and 17 in Pakistan with about 2,500 militants,” Minister of State for Home Affairs Mullappally Ramachandran told Lok Sabha in a written reply.
He said intelligence inputs indicate active support of Pakistan Intelligence and Securities Agencies to push terrorists in India.
“The Indo-Pak border, particularly Jammu region, is highly vulnerable to infiltration from Pakistan side. Pak-based, terrorists with the support of Pak Rangers/Pak Army, often make abortive attempts to sneak into Indian territory.
“However, due to intensive vigil and high degree of alertness, BSF personnel foil every attempt of infiltration by Pakistani terrorists. There has been no case of infiltration by terrorists,” Ramachandran said.
There have been a total of 249 infiltration attempts this year as against 247 last year, 489 in 2010, 485 in 2009, 342 in 2008 and 535 in 2007, as per the information given by the minister.
The Centre in tandem with the State Government has adopted a multi-pronged approach to contain cross-border infiltration including strengthening of border management, construction of border fencing, improved technology, weapons and equipments for security forces, improved intelligence and operational coordination among others, he said.
“Following visit of All Party Delegation to Jammu and Kashmir in September 2010 and in pursuance of the decision taken by Government, the State Government has been requested to review notification of the areas as ‘disturbed areas’ under the Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special powers Act, 1990,” the Minister said responding to a question on withdrawal of AFSPA in a phased manner from J-K. (PTI)
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