Mehbooba Mufti government approves withdrawal of cases against first-time offenders in J&K

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Tuesday approved the withdrawal of cases registered against first-time offenders during the period 2008-17. In the last three years, 4,066 FIRs have been registered against 14,208 stone pelters in the Kashmir Valley.

The Jammu and Kashmir government also said that in the last three years, as many as 11,566 security personnel have faced injuries in 4,736 stone-pelting incidents in the Valley. Two policemen and 110 civilians have also lost their lives during these incidents.

In a written reply to a question by Congress MLC Naresh Kumar Gupta in the legislative council today, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said that as many as 9,670 police personnel and 1,896 security forces personnel were injured in 4,736 incidents of stone-pelting during 2015, 2016 and 2017.

The year 2016 saw 9,235 personnel getting injured in stone-pelting, the highest figure for these three years. There were 1,198 such incidents in 2017 and 1,690 security personnel were injured. In 2015, 641 security personnel were injured in 730 incidents in 2015, the Chief Minister said.

The CM also said that the number of local youths joining terror outfits in the Valley went up to 126 in 2017 which is a sharp increase from 88 the year before.

"As many as 66 youths joined militancy in 2015, 88 in 2016 and 126 in 2017," the chief minister said while replying to a written question by National Conference leader Ali Mohammed Sagar.

The spurt in locals joining terror outfits began after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terror group's poster boy Burhan Wani in an encounter in south Kashmir on July 8, 2016.

Security officials feel there is a difference between present-day militants and those of the early 1990s. The ideological conviction of the present lot is stronger than that of the terror groups during the early days, they said.

There is concern that the Valley is witnessing a trend of 'pan-Islamisation', where young boys are opting for terrorism knowing full well that they are at the risk of being killed, the officials said.