- Wednesday, February 26, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIA has sent thousands more paramilitary personnel into the part of Jammu and Kashmir that it controls following a series of targeted killings by suspected rebels in recent weeks, officials on Wednesday (10) said.
India has for decades stationed at least 500,000 soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir, which is one of the most militarised zones in the world, thanks to its disputes over the union territory with Pakistan, a hostile neighbour.
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“Around 2,500 troops have arrived and they were deployed all over Kashmir valley,” Abhiram Pankaj, a spokesman for the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force, told AFP. He added that more troops were on their way to Kashmir.
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Around 5,000 extra paramilitary forces were being deployed from this week, including from the Border Security Force, one police officer told the news outlet on the condition of anonymity.
Some of the troops have been put in civilian community halls that have been heavily fortified with sandbag bunkers, bringing back the memories of the early 1990s when an armed insurgency had peaked in Kashmir.
That rebellion, which claimed several thousands of lives, has waned over the years but the recent killings of civilians have left the Indian authorities worried. A dozen people from the state’s minority communities like Hindus and Sikhs have been targeted in the last one month and rebel groups, who have since 1989 fought for Kashmir’s independence or merger with Pakistan, are believed to be responsible for the acts. Those targeted include migrant workers from northern parts of India, school teachers, vendors, etc.
Some of those killed were accused by the Resistance Front, a local rebel group, which is allegedly backed by Pakistan-based militants.
New Delhi tightened the security in the union territory in the wake of the civilians’ killings. Police and paramilitary troops in bulletproof gear and carrying automatic rifles have carried out frisk searches of residents, including children, on the roads.
People of the region have reportedly been upset since August 2019 when New Delhi revoked its partial autonomy and brought Kashmir under its direct rule.
Security experts have claimed the return of the Taliban in Afghanistan has helped the anti-India outfits based in Pakistan to promote their interests.
