Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to chair a high-level meeting at Raj Bhawan, Jammu on December 27 to review the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in the border districts of Rajouri and Poonch. Singh will also visit these districts for an on-the-spot assessment of the situation.
His scheduled day-long visit follows Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande’s tour to Poonch, which included the site of the terror attack at Dera Ki Gali, where four soldiers lost their lives, and three others were injured. These areas have witnessed a surge in terror attacks, resulting in the killing of 19 soldiers in four attacks.
The defence minister will first hold a meeting with top Army Commanders at the 16 Corps Headquarters in Nagrota regarding the prevailing situation in Jammu and Kashmir, including the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan, as well as the border districts of Poonch and Rajouri. Later, he will chair a meeting at Raj Bhawan where a fresh strategy is expected to be devised to deal with increasing attacks by terrorists.
The meeting will be attended by J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, top Army officials, paramilitary forces, Jammu and Kashmir police, civil administration, and intelligence agencies. Singh will then visit the border districts of Rajouri and Poonch to meet with Army officials and civilians, gaining firsthand information about the prevailing situation. He is likely to address the civilians in Poonch before returning to New Delhi in the evening.
On December 21, three to four foreign terrorists, armed with M4 rifles and other sophisticated weapons, ambushed two Army vehicles–a Gypsy and a truck–killing four soldiers and injuring three others before fleeing. The following day, three civilians were found dead in the area near the site of the terror attack. There are allegations that they died while in Army custody. The Army has initiated an inquiry and transferred four senior officers of the unit. Additionally, the police have filed an FIR in the case.
Relatives of the deceased civilians and locals alleged they were among 13 civilians picked up for questioning by the security forces.
Amid allegations of their deaths due to torture, the J&K government announced jobs and compensation for the dependents of the families of the three deceased civilians. Political parties including the National Conference, the PDP, and Mission Statehood demand a probe into the incident and allege the three civilians died due to custodial torture.
