The Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday informed the Lok Sabha that 765 people have been arrested in Jammu and Kashmir for involving in stone-pelting since the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5.
According to the reports, Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy, responding to the question in Parliament, stated that the security forces have arrested the stone-pelters in connection with 190 incidents registered till November 15.
MoS Home Kishan Reddy said the government had adopted multi-pronged policies to curb stone-pelting. “A large number of troublemakers, instigators, mob mobilisers have been identified and various preventive measures have been taken against them which include detention under PSA and preventive arrests”, he added.
Read: Will there be an end to the stone pelting saga written by the Islamist mobs in Kashmir?
The minister accused various separatist organisations and activists part of the Hurriyat Conference for instigating people to resort to stone-pelting in Kashmir Valley. The National Investigation Agency has charge-sheeted 18 persons in terror-funding cases so far, he added.
Speaking on normalcy returning to the valley, the minister said while school attendance was low following the measures implemented by the government in Kashmir it was 99.7% in the ongoing examination. Responding to another question, Reddy said the Jammu and Kashmir administration had informed that a total of 34,10,219 tourists, including 12,934 foreigners, visited Jammu and Kashmir in the last six months and an income of Rs 25.12 crore was earned through tourism during this period.
Reddy said pump action guns were used with abundant caution since August 5, and only while dealing with severe law-and-order problems where civilian lives were under threat.
Within months after imposing restrictions in Jammu and Kashmir following the revocation of Article 370 and bifurcation of the state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) into Union Territories (UT) of J&K and Ladakh, normalcy seems to slowly be returning to the valley.
Earlier in the day, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had reiterated that the curbs on the Internet in Kashmir valley will be lifted as soon as the local administration feels it fit to do so. Speaking in the Parliament, Home Minister Shah had said he agrees to the fact that the Internet is a necessity in today’s age but defended the ban on it in the Valley, saying the national security is paramount.
He also added all newspapers and TV channels are functioning freely in Kashmir. He added that the circulation of newspapers in Kashmir had not declined.
On Tuesday, the Jammu and Kashmir administration had said that restrictions imposed in the Valley will be lifted in a gradual manner in the wake of the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status. The new administration of the newly created Union Territory had stated that the move to ease the restrictions was taken following an assessment of different areas in the Kashmir division by local authorities.
Recently, the Modi government had informed the Supreme Court that it had revoked 90% of restrictions in the valley and the situation is reviewed every day.