Army commander appeals for calm, ‘Protest calendars a concern’

5 Dariya News

Srinagar 19-Aug-2016

Terming the ‘Khrew’ like incidents ‘unacceptable and unjustified’ Lt Gen D S Hooda, Chief of the Northern Army Command Friday appealed to the people of Kashmir Valley to help restore peace.Addressing a press conference here, Hooda said that the killing of a college lecturer in the army action was “unjustified” and that the army had “initiated a legal action into the incident”.Shabir Ahmad Mangno, a resident of Shaarshali in Khrew was killed in army custody and more than 100 civilians were injured after army men from 50 Rashtriya Rifles barged into their houses and dragged them out during the intervening night of August 17 and 18.These incidents are intolerable and army will never allow such incidents to happen,” he said.Hooda who was accompanied by 15-Corps chief Lt Gen Satish Dua while making a remark over the handling of situation in Valley said that there is room for introspection. He said that the situation in the initial days was very grim and the atmosphere was surcharged but it has “bettered since July 09, except Fridays”. He said that, “the past 40 days of cycle of conflict has hurt everybody including school children, traders, government officials and all those lying in the hospitals.” “Everyone; be it traders, civil society and other sections of the society need to help in restoring normalcy in the state,” he said.

Appealing for calm, Hooda said, “We all have to sit together and find a solution to the prevailing situation.”Responding to a question, General Hooda said that there was no increase or decrease in the deployment of troops on borders. However, he said that army will help in “clearing” the Srinagar-Jammu highway for smooth movement of traffic.Responding to another question, Hooda said that protest calendars are encouraging whatever is happening in the valley. We have to look into where from the calendars are issued.” He added that during his meeting with Chief Minister and the Governor, the present situation was discussed “threadbare”.He said that it was unanimously agreed upon that the “situation in the valley was not normal”. “Some sense of normalcy needs to come in,” he said.Hooda said that army will provide all “possible assistance in restoring peace and normalcy in the state”.He said that the “counter-militancy” operations in the valley especially south of Kashmir “got affected due the prevailing situation”. “It is a matter of concern,” he said.In response to a question, Hooda said that Hizb commander Burhan Wani was killed in a well-managed encounter. “The encounter in which Burhan Wani was killed was not a staged one but it was well-managed,” he said.To another question, he said that an expert committee has already been constituted by the Government of India to look into the pros and cons of the use and banning of pellet guns in Valley. (CNS)