As the targeted killings in the Kashmir valley continues, the Union Home Ministry has decided to send additional troops from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). The move is being seen as a step to counter the growing menace created by the terror groups to target minorities. Five additional companies of the CRPF will be sent to Kashmir in addition to the existing 25 companies that are already deployed in Kashmir. Notably, each company of CRPF has roughly 100 men.
Decision after Home Minister's visit to Kashmir
The decision to deploy additional troops in the valley was taken after the recent visit of Home Minister Amit Shah to Kashmir. The troops are expected to be deployed within a week.
Since October, at least fifteen individuals have been murdered, the majority of them being minorities and non-natives. By tightening checks and strategically shifting bunkers, the CRPF and the Jammu and Kashmir Police have made many alterations to the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). The majority of the troops would be stationed in Srinagar, which has experienced a dramatic increase in civilian deaths.
Targeted killings in Kashmir
The majority of the attacks have been claimed by the Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the Lashkar-e-Taiba terror group. On October 2, two civilians, Majid Guroo and Mohammad Shafi were shot dead in Srinagar, igniting a wave of bloodshed. Three civilians were killed in terror strikes on October 5: Makhan Lal Bindroo, a Kashmiri Pandit and renowned pharmacist in Srinagar; Virender Paswan, a street vendor from Bihar's Bhagalpur; and Mohammad Shafi Lone, the chairman of a taxi union in Bandipora district.
Further, Supinder Kaur, the principal of the Government Boys Higher Secondary School, and Deepak Chand, a teacher at the same school in Srinagar's Eidgah neighbourhood, were shot and killed by gunmen in October 7. The killings continued as Arvind Kumar Sah, a street trader from Bihar, and Sagheer Ahmad, a carpenter from Uttar Pradesh, were shot and killed in Srinagar and Pulwama, respectively, on October 16. Terrorists killed two additional non-local labourers from Bihar, Raja Reshi and Joginder Reshi, in the Wanpoh area of Kulgam district on October 17.
